


Could Things Get Even More Different?

by Palm_Tree_Queen



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, Multi, Rewrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:14:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22888267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palm_Tree_Queen/pseuds/Palm_Tree_Queen
Summary: A rewrite of Svtfoe from the beginning of season 3 to the very end. What if Star and Tom never became a couple a second time? And what If Starco happened earlier on in the show? I really hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did writing it!! It really means alot!
Relationships: Marco Diaz/Jackie Lynn Thomas, Moon Butterfly/River Butterfly, Star Butterfly/Marco Diaz
Kudos: 26





	1. Break Ups And Make Ups

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys!!! So I took notice that some of the relationships in Svtfoe could have been done better. Such as the way Star treated Tom, or the way Marco broke up with Jackie. Another thing that bugged me was the Ending and the missing plot holes of the show. Such as Eclipsa and Globgor's backgrounds, or Star's ultimate decision to destroy magic as a whole. This is a rewrite I plan to do of season 3 and up in a possible attempt to correct these things. Anyways hope you enjoy!!

It had been almost a week since Marco's last departure from Mewni. Now back on Earth, The sound of serene silence left an odd taste in his mouth. After the recent skirmish with Toffee, it was decided that Star would return to her home dimension pernamately. Marco came to accept these terms, however it was quite difficult after spending an entire school year with the Magical princess he had come to call his bestfriend. 

But they wouldn't drift away... _Right_? He couldn't be too sure. Based on his observations, being a Queen in training was difficult work. In fact, Star could be slaving away with piles and piles of paperwork while he just sat here watching movies with Jackie. 

Speaking of Jackie, ever since Marco returned from his Summer trip, She seemed slightly unnerved. He was clueless as to what could be the ordeal, everything was great between them. His visit had been incredible, however he tried not to overwhelm her with the details. Though, He had a feeling that something was different from that. 

" _Soooooooo_ ," Marco began, decreasing the volume of the TV. "Is everything... _Okay_ with you?" 

She quickly turned to face him, which was honestly startling due to Jackie's typical relaxed demeanor. "Yeah, It's all good." She said, instantly falling back into character. 

That answer didn't suit him. Something was wrong and he needed to find out what.

"Are you sure?" He asked, leaning closer. "You've just been so uneasy lately and it's really starting to worry me. If you need to, I'm always here to talk." He gave a sympathetic smile. It sort of reminded him of how he would talk to Star when she was in a down mood. But this was Jackie he was talking to. Star was gone, and his main focus needed to be on his girlfriend. 

Jackie suddenly leaned towards, hiding her face in her palms as she sighed. "How can I turn you down?" She asked jokingly. Marco only sat attentively, he couldn't exactly find the words.

"Listen... Something came up rather recently and...well. I dont exactly know how to explain. I was wanting to do this later, but I guess you gotta rip off the bandaid somehow." Jackie began. Marco gulped, Those words never sounded good. He stared, waiting for his impending doom. 

"So... You know how I've been talking about that Abroad Student program? In France?" 

"Of course". Marco always observed the way Jackie's eyes lit up everytime she described the idea of the place. The flashy lights, the cafes. He also recalled a time of his Mom sharing her experience in the foreign country as well. But based on where the conversation was going, this could not be good. 

"Well.... I recieved a letter in the mail. And... I got accepted." Jackie announced, taking a deep breath. 

"That's... That's amazing, Jackie!! _No_ , this is _incredible_!! I can't believe it! I'm so happy for you!" Marco cheered with triumph, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend. Though, Jackie didn't look like she felt like celebrating. Her expression remained grim.

Marco paused, his gaze dropping with concern. "...Jackie? What's wrong? You've always wanted to go to France. I thought you would want to celebrate?" Jackie turned to face him, a soft smile now appearing on her face. 

"Oh, Don't get me wrong, I am happy to go but. Marco... _How are we going to see eachother_?" 

The realization hit Marco like an oncoming truck, or a warnicorn as Star would always say. How would they see eachother exactly? Marco went silent as he flooded his mind with ideas and improvatons. Sure they could do long distance, but did those relationships really ever work? 

"When do you leave?" He asked, finally breaking the unnerving silence. 

Jackie was quick to respond, "three weeks. I know, I should have said something sooner. It's just I wanted to wait, for the right time. You know what I mean?" 

Marco lightly chuckled, "Yeah. I know. But there's nothing to worry about!" _Was there_? "We can make it work! Sure there would be the time zones, and the never getting to see eachother physically, and of course it's a foreign country. Different curriculum. You would be studying alot-" 

"Dude, dude, dude," Jackie cut him off, "this is why I've been acting weird the past few weeks. I think it might be best if we just... maybe ended it here." She said, gently grabbing his hand. 

Again, the truck feeling resurfaced on Marco. This time much more stronger than the last. 

"You're.... _You're breaking up with me_?" 

Jackie sighed. "Marco, You are such a great guy. Honestly, If I could do anything to stop this I would. But you know as good as I do that it wouldn't be healthy." 

Marco paused to take a deep breath. It really wouldn't be healthy would it? But Jackie was the girl of his dreams. The one he had been chasing for years, and now he finally had her. But he couldn't hold her back. That would be disrespectful to her and her goals. 

It couldn't be something he did could it? Could it have been something Star did? After all, the last Jackie ever saw of the blonde headed princess was when she gave that weird proclamation of love during the party. Ever since then, Marco's relationship with his bestfriend had been kind of... awkward to put it atleast. 

But he had no feelings for Star what so ever, and he couldnt tell if she had changed her mind or not. Jackie was his girlfriend, he wouldn't choose any girl over her. Or atleast Jackie was his girlfriend. In fact, this was his first time really thinking about Star since he watched her evaporate Toffee to a skeleton after his events on Mewni. Before their departure, They both had made a deal to remain at friends. It was actually Star who brought the deal up first. 

_"Listen, What I did... I was an idiot, Marco. A dummy. Like one of those Earth lollipops that they give out on Halloween!"_

_"You mean Dum-Dums."_

_"Yes! I would rocket launch a tree for one of those right about now."_

_"What are you apologizing for? I don't really see a reason for you calling yourself an idiot. Also, respect the trees please. They give you oxygen, might as well be kind to them."_

_"Alright, Worax, Chill."_

_"Lorax- Come on Star tell me what's up."_

_"Okay. I'm so so so sorry for what I did at your party. About putting us on the spot like that. In front of Jackie and all... It was just super weird."_

_"Yeah, you gotta admit it was pretty out of the ordinary. Even for you."_

_"Hmmmmm. Anyways, I was SUPER pressed on time because of my mom. And everything was just a blur. But I should have never put myself between you and Jackie like that. She's your girlfriend, and all I had was a itsy bitsy crush. You've been wanting to be with her for what, years? That's foreverrrrr! I just wanted to say I'm sorry for that."_

_"I forgive you. But hey, Next time let's NOT confess crushes in front of my parents and Alfonso and Ferguson."_

_"Agreed! And wait, one last thing before you go."_

_"Yes?"_

_"Let's just keep it at... friends. Okay? I don't want to come between you and your relationship like that ever again. Deal? You gotta say deal, Diaz, or I won't let you go back home. Your family will have to pay ransom."_

_"Hey watch it! my parents are still paying for that hole you left in the wall while trying to dance on a headstand! But...... It's a deal."_

Jackie delivered Marco from his thoughts. "Look, Marco. I know what you're thinking, man. And it is nothing you did. It's nothing Star did. I just want to do what's best for us. And hey... Even if I'm leaving, That doesn't mean that we can't be friends." 

Marco nodded. Though he honestly felt like he needed to lay down. "You're right. And even if we are... Breaking up. I'm still really happy that you're following your dreams. I honestly want the best for you. But... What am I going to do with out you?" 

Jackie smiled once more. "You're Marco Diaz. I know you'll find away." 

Even though the hurt he was feeling on the inside was about to drive him insane, Marco couldn't help but to smile back. That was a decent enough response for Jackie. 

"Well... The sun's going to set soon. I guess this is it." 

"I guess so too." He replied, fumbling his hands. 

Jackie leaned over to kiss him on the cheek for the last time before getting up to grab her skateboard. Marco hazily watched her prepare to leave. The entire thing felt almost like a bittersweet dream. Bitter because he was loosing the first girl he ever loved. But, it was sweet. Sweet as she would be doing something that made her happy. Even if it didn't include him. 

"Hey, Dude." Jackie called to Marco as she pulled the handle of the front door. 

"Yeah?" 

"Thanks for everything. You're pretty cool." She said before walking out the door, leaving Marco behind. He developed an empty feeling as he watched her skate down the road, the sinking glow of the sun behind her. This would probably be the last he would ever see of Jackie Lynn Thomas for a while. 

"Thanks. You're pretty cool yourself."

\-----------------------------------

What was supposed to be a serene and relaxing morning turned into an annoying grumbling fest for Star Butterfly as her phone was going haywire with infinite buzzing. The Princess struggled around to grab the source of what was interrupting her "beauty" sleep, however that task was a struggle when you were half awake. 

Finally, after a fruitful attempt, she was able to open the lavender case to find 54 missed calls from the Princess Ponyhead herself. Star only groaned with anticipation to see what could possibly be the cause of the ocation. 

Once again, The phone loudly buzzed, vibrating Star's weak hand as she unwillingly hit answer. 

_"M..McDonald's......I'm sorry... our... icecream machine.... is still.... broken. Can I help you?_ " She mumbled, still attempting to fully wake up. 

"B-FLY SNAP OUT OF IT, I GOT SOME NEWS FOR YA GIRL!!!!" A raspy voice screamed through the phone, jolting Star back. 

"AaAA IM AWAKE _IM AWAKE!_ " 

"GOOD. BECAUSE I GOT SOME THINGS TO SAY AND NOT MUCH TIME TO SAY EM" 

Star clutched the phone in between her shoulder and head, grabbing for her wand as she listened to her... Decapitated???... horse friend ramble into her ear. "All right, All right gimme a sec I need to find my new wand." 

"Don't worry about it! I'm on my way over there RIGHT NOW!!" Ponyhead announced. This only brought Star into a haze even more. 

"Ah! Pony, I haven't even brushed my hair yet! Wait when are you going to get here first?" 

A voice behind her was Star's answer, "Girl! I'm already here!" 

Star shrieked out of fear before turning to face Ponyhead, gasping for air. "You scared the life out of me! How did you even get here so fast?!" 

"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to!" Ponyhead answered, circling the behemoth bed room. 

" _Okay_... That's a little ominous and creepy...But girl, spill the tea! I wanna knowwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Star begged before falling back upon her bed. Finally finding her wand tucked under her pillow, something her Mom would punish her for if she ever found out. 

After hearing those words, Ponyhead instantly began a long and almost nonverbal case of rambling. It was a suprise that Star could keep up with her, but not with Ms. Skullknick's algebra lessons on earth. 

"Okay so, I ran into Tom, and he-" 

"Tom?! What about Tom?" Star interrupted. Ever since the Silver Bell Ball, Star had to admit that she had warmed up to the Underworld Prince once more. Though he had went to some...Odd lengths to win Star back as his girlfriend, something about that night had stuck out to her. 

Maybe it was how he confessed that he wanted to give her space. Or the fact that he was actually making an effort to change. Or maybe... It was both. But after their confrontation at the Ball, Star suddenly began to feel guilty for the way she had treated him. That was what she got for listening to Ponyhead, who convinced her that " _clubsnubbing_ " was the way to go. But it made her realize that Tom wasn't so bad of a guy at all. 

"GIRL! You need to stop like Interrupting! Okay so he said some stuff. I said some stuff, and he told me not to tell you some stuff- Ohhhh shoot what did I do?!" Ponyhead screamed in regret. 

"Not to tell me some stuff? Okay you gotta tell me what's going on!" Star eagerly pleaded, sitting straight up. Now this was odd. What would Tom want to hide from her? Could she be wrong about him wanting to change? That didn't matter now, what mattered is that Ponyhead had a secret that she needed to uncover. 

"What?! I didn't say nothin'! I swear I-" 

" _Ponyyyyyy_ , Just tell me!!" 

"You don't need to know anything! Just like chil!" 

" _Come on. Pretty pretty pretty pretty pretty please?"_ , Star begged, Clasping her hands together as if she were some kind of angel. 

"Okay _fine_!" Pony snorted, falling to defeat. "Okay but you gotta pinky swear you wont tell anyone!" 

"I can keep a promise, but I dont think you have any pinkies to swear with Pony-" 

"Okay okay I get that! Just promise!" 

"I promise." Star said, "Now tell me what this demon prince is hidin'!" 

"Okay so. Tom told me not to tell you, that he is getting a demoncism. Y'know, like Seahorse had? My ex boyfriend? The one that now has to spray water on himself like a febreeze bottle?" Ponyhead confessed, Causing Star to remember the horrendous comparisons Pony showed her to the life of Seahorse before and after the frightening procedure. 

" _A demoncism?!_ " Star wondered aloud. What in the world could Tom possibly be thinking? She had to stop this, of course he didn't want to tell her. He knew she wouldn't approve of him practically handing over his personality. "Where's it happening?" 

"Girl, I dunno, those things are super secretive. And you were uninvited so- Oh wait I just got Seahorse to send me a map. Remind me to give him his spray bottle back." Ponyhead announced, revealing the directions map to Star on her phone, "Why, you wanna crash it?" 

"Of course I wanna crash it! Tom could be in serious danger! We have to go and save him." She declared, twirling her new wand around. Star began to reach for the scissors. "Let's go!" 

"Hold up girl, wait a minute no one's commented on my post yet, I gotta- aaaAAAAAAAAAA!" Ponyhead shrieked as Star dragged her through a new portal. 

\---------------------------------- 

The two princesses arrived to what appeared to be an erie sacred ritual circle, occupied by hundreds of unsettling figures in dark cloaks. In summary, the area completely contrasted to the bubbly appearance of both girls. 

"Creepy," Star whispered, surveying the scene. Finally, with a plan constructed in mind, they were ready to act. 

"Okay, I'll go find Tom. You distract them." 

"Oh don't worry, girl," Ponyhead answered, "I got you. Watch this." The floating horse proceeded to glide on stage dressed in one of the black cloaks, Instantly captivating the crowd. However, not without breaking a gong and display on her way up. 

"Alright, Fall is coming up. Okay so let's take a vote on our new spooky robes. The first color we're gonna vote on is maroon. Yay or any? All for yay, show your hands." 

Out of the entire congregation, only one cloaked figure raised their hand. Though, This didn't stop Ponyhead for continuing her constant rambling. But, this gave Star the perfect chance to stealthily sneak into the suspected tent where Tom was most likely being held. 

Her suspicions were confirmed as she stumbled upon Tom struggling to fix his tie. 

"Tom, just what are you thinking about doing?!" Star exclaimed, upset by Tom's decision. However her tone softened at the sight of his outfit. " _Awww_ you look so nice!" 

Star's infiltration startled Tom as he gazed at her in suprise. 

"What are you doing here?!" He exclaimed, frowing as she approached closer. 

"I'm here to stop you from making a terrible, terrible mistake! Tom, I'm worried. I've seen what these ceremonies can do to a person, and I don't want that to happen to you!" Star pleaded, pointing a finger at his chest. 

"Woah, woah, I don't know what Ponyhead told you, but it's not what you think," Tom reassured, "I genuinely want this." 

Star's face only twisted into more confusion. _Why would he ever want something like this?_ He proved himself at the Silver Bell Ball. Wasn't that enough? Star knew that he was already trying his best, and that was all she needed. 

"... _What_?" 

Tom only sighed, "I need to change. You're out here being the best princess you can be and it's really inspiring. I just feel like I need to be a better Prince." 

"But you already are becoming better, Tom! Back at the Silver Bell Ball, What you said and all..." 

"Look Star, this is gonna be an easy procedure for a guy like me. In and out." Tom gestured, still trying to make light of the situation. However his words were only bringing Star more and more into a state of fear.

"So... You're just going to zap away all of your personality just to feel better? Tom, you really don't have to do that. It's dangerous, and you'll just become... a _robot_!" Star began to sweat. She needed to stop this demoncism no matter the cause. 

Could It be her fault that this was happening? She was pretty cold to him at the Silver Bell Ball when it appeared that he was clubsnubbing. Or... the time when she ran off to dance with Marco at the Blood Moon Ball. 

_Man, I've been to alot of balls._ She pondered. Though she was indeed a princess. 

"Tom, I'm so sorry for what I've done. For how I treated you. I just... I don't know. I've been having a hard time with this relationship thing. I mean I'm not seeing anyone of course but it's just been kind of crazy recently. Sometimes I just wish things could be the way they used to be, before Toffee and everything. And now, Apparently my _~Evil~_ Grandma has come back and I'm the only one keeping her from receiving a life long sentence!" Star confessed, awkwardly clasping her hands. Her mind rapidly flying through the memories of practically drowning in the magic dimension with Glossaryck. And being harrassed by the Magic High Commission to revealing the details of her meeting with Eclipsa. 

Tom took a deep breath, a bittersweet smile appearing across his face, "Star, Star.. It's okay. I totally understand. But you don't get it. I was pretty bad to you as well. Stalking you and Marco twenty four seven. Only caring about winning you back. I realized that I needed a change too, and I realized that this was the most official way to do it." 

"But Tom, Like I said, You're enough! You've always been enough. This was all my fault. You shouldn't have to pay for it."

"Your fault?" Tom scoffed, crossing his arms, "It was mine for having such crazy anger issues." 

The princess impatiently stomped her foot, "Okay Mister, You listen here. I'm the one who messed up! I yelled at you for having manners! And that was super rude." 

"Not as rude as me trying to force our souls to cleave together via curse without your consent!" Tom said, his solemn expression morphing into a playful grin. 

"Oh come on Tom, it's my fault!" Star spat, loosing the more serious matter of the conversation. 

"My fault!"

"No! My fault!"

" _Mine_!"

" _No, Mine!_ " 

Suddenly the two teens erupted into tearful laughter, forgetting all of their current worries. 

After the laughter had settled into an easy silence, Tom was the first to speak. 

"I think It's both our faults." He admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Agreed!" Star chirped, happy that they had met a compromise on atleast one thing. 

"Look Star, You're right. This is... Insane. I think I just might call this entire Demoncism off. Thanks for making me realize what kinda mess I was getting myself into. I couldn't imagine being a... _Robot_... As you put it." 

"Yeah, We don't need you ending up like Mr. Krabbs!" Star exclaimed, recalling that really funny sea animal cartoon Marco had shown her on Earth. 

".....I'm sorry, _what?_ " Tom tilted his head to one side. "Anyways, hey, Do you just wanna be.. _Friends_?" He anxiously asked, holding out a hand to his former girlfriend. 

Star didn't miss a heartbeat before snatching his hand for a rather aggressive form of shaking. However the new deal caused her to hesitate, it strongly reminded her of her deal with Marco. But Marco couldn't possibly be thinking of her. This was personal. Just between her and Tom.

"Of course I will! To be honest, I think this suits us a bit better." 

"Haha yeah. It does. And hey, If you ever get with Marco, I just want you to know that you guys have my full support. No matter what." 

"Thanks. That really, really means alot to me, Tom. But I could never do that. Marco's with Jackie. I could never do that to him. He's happy, and if Marco's happy then I'm happy." 

"That's really wise of you, Starship. Hey let's get our of this creepy place anyways. I'm kind of in the mood for icecream if you know what I mean." Tom said, striding to the exit. 

Star excitedly bounced behind him, "I'm _always_ in the mood for icecream!!"

\-----------------------------

When they had left the tent, Ponyhead was going on some long lecture on chips at potlucks. Which, probably to the crowd's delight, was cut short as Star gestured her friend to follow them out of the ceremonial grounds. 

" _Soooooo_! Did you guys talk things out or whaaaat? Are we not doing this weird anti demon possessing thing anymore?" Ponyhead began to shower the demon and Butterfly prince and princess with unnecessary questions. 

"You seriously brought Ponyhead?! _Out of all people?!_ " Tom harshly whispered in Star's ear as they began their long trek into the woods. The blonde princess only giggled in amusement for a response. 

"Aye! _No no no no no no!_ You do not get to talk about me, Lucitor. I'm like totally the one who got us here so like... You should be more grateful or whatever I dont know." Ponyhead chastised, invading way too much of Tom's personal space. 

Star came to the defense of her horse friend, "She's got a point, Tom. Ponyhead was the one who helped me get here to save you."

"Alright alright, I'll thank you, but just this once-" Tom began, however he was cut off by the loud blaring of Star's ringtone. To which, the heart cheeked princess responded with an over exaggerated gagging noise once she read the caller ID. 

"Is something... _Wrong?_ " Tom asked, slightly weired out by Star's reaction. 

"Ughhaughaug! It's my Mooooooooom." Star groaned before flipping the lavendar case up to reveal Queen Butterfly standing with a stiff posture behind the screen. Her face unamused as always, a major contrast to her lively daughter. 

"Star, I hate to interrupt... Whatever it is you're doing, But you need to return home immediately. It's _urgent_." Moon ordered, reminding Star of the last time she tried to drag her daughter back home. Except that time it was on Earth, right before the battle with Toffee. 

Star whined even louder in protest. "Ughhhh! Mom! _Whyyyyyyy?_ I'm with my friends! Can't this wait? You always do this to me at literally the _worst times-_ " 

"Star! I told you once and I am not going to tell you again, _young lady_! You need to get home as soon as humanly possible. Or I just might as well ground you." The Queen persisted, clearly growing frustrated with her daughter's rebellious behavior.

"What exactly are you wanting from me anyways?? Huh?!" Star was practically yelling at this point. Tom and Ponyhead only exchanged awkward glances from a safe distance away. 

"Because you have a visitor, Star!!" 

"...Visitor?" She asked, completely puzzled. Who on Mewni could possibly be wanting to see her at this time of day?

Moon stepped aside from the screen to reveal a familiar boy in a red hoodie. 

"Hey Star." He said, giving a slight wave. 

" _Marco_!" 


	2. The Princess and a Sad Teen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Jackie has officially broken up with Marco! But how does Marco react to all of this? And how will Star get her best friend back to his old self?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the support! I'm so excited to make another chapter. Sorry that it's MUCH longer than the last. However, after this chapter there will be many time skips. I will try my best to make them clear. Anyways I hope you all enjoy!

"So, Jackie broke up with ya, huh? That must really suck." 

"Janna, You know the most perfect things to say..." Marco groaned, watching the girl in the beanie hat bite into a half eaten taco. 

After the breakup with Jackie, Marco couldn't detach himself from constant states of sadness. And anytime he felt like being happy once more, it always came back to slap him in the face. 

But how else was he supposed to feel? He had been chasing after Jackie for years to say the least. Waiting every morning at the beginning of school to nod to her, doing everything in his power to impress her. 

Now their relationship had been nothing but a memory for the past two weeks. He honestly felt guilty for his self pity. 

Jackie had always dreamed of moving to France, and now that she finally was, she could be truly happy. And Marco knew that if he loved her, he would have to let her go. Atleast they could still be friends. 

"Hey are you dead?" 

Janna's voice delivered Marco from his thoughts as he realized that he had his head laying flat on the table the entire time. 

"Yeah yeah... I'm good." 

"Awesome, because I was wondering if you weren't going to eat it, I could bring it home to the raccoon that I'm keeping in my garage." 

"Sure sure... Be my guest. Hope he enjoys it." Marco could have cared less. He wasn't even that hungry to begin with. Ever since the breakup, he had been going with Janna to Britta's Tacos every other day after school. Despite his rather odd company, atleast it got him out and about. 

"Um, I'm sorry, but Alexander Hamilton is a _she_. Just letting you know." Janna said, yanking his burrito from across the table. 

" _Then why did you name it Alexan_ \- Never mind." 

"You know, If you're so upset about this Jackie stuff, Why don't you talk to Star about it?" She asked, now beginning to stuff the half bitten tortilla wrap down her backpack. "I mean, I'm not great to talk about it. And I mean you guys are best friends." 

Marco shook his head. Hearing Star mentioned sort of set him at unease. 

"No, It's fine. I'll just tell her later..." 

" _You haven't even told her?_ " Janna spat in suprise, for once showing a human emotion. "Dude, you and her used to be inseparable. Have you even talked in the past 3 weeks that you haven't seen eachother?" 

Marco shifted in his seat, even more unsettled by Janna's abrupt persistency. 

"Well not really, I always assumed she was busy with going back to her Princess duties and all. And plus I didn't want Jackie to suspect something could be up after that thing at the party." 

"Okay number one, The last time I talked to Star I was helping her bury a book in a pet cemetery. Number two, Jackie's gone, dude. You're free to talk to whoever you want to, and plus Star told me she gave up after she realized that you and Jackie were actually a thing. So go talk to Star about it because she's probably the one who can help you through this. " 

"Yeah... I guess you're right. Wow, Janna. You actually give some good advice. I just don't know how I'm ever going to get over Jackie though." Marco said, stunned by Janna's sudden lecture. "Also, What in the world could you have possibly be doing in a _pet cemetery?_ " 

"You don't need that information." Janna answered, collecting her things. "Just give Star a call or something." 

"We'll see." Marco confirmed, heading away from the table. "Thanks for the help, Janna." 

\-------------

"Are you ready for school tomorrow, kiddo? Everything packed and ready to take on another exciting week?" Marco's mother, Angie, asked from the other side of the dinner table. It was a rather pleasant sunday with the bright sun filtering through the kitchen curtains, luminating the room in a golden glow. However, Marco Diaz's mood still remained in the gutter. 

It had been 3 days since he had talked to Janna, and he had yet to take her advice. 

Should he really call Star about it? 

He wasn't sure. If he told Star that he broke up with Jackie then what if Star instantly tried to win him over. No, Marco didn't want to think about that. He quickly dismissed the idea, burning with guilt. She was his bestfriend, he trusted her. She would never jump on him like that. Plus, Marco had completely forgot the promise they had made before he had disembarked from Mewni. 

_Let's just keep it at friends._

"Ughhhhhhh. I'd rather not." Marco answered, staring blankly at his half eaten toast. 

Even though he had Alfonso, Ferguson, and.... Janna's company, school almost felt like a void. He had spent the entire year battering his eyes at Jackie and making sure Star didn't set the school on fire. It almost felt like a whole new place entirely. 

Angie gave a soft sigh, "I know you miss her. And I know you miss Star too, But you have so much to look foward to! Your karate lessons! Fall break!" 

Marco wanted go agree with his Mother's attempts to cheer him up, but it remained futile. 

Angie paused, and suddenly the mood in the room shifted unforeseeably as Angie's demeanor suddenly changed. 

"Actually... Your father and I have some big news that we wanted to tell you. And we believe that you're either going to love it or hate it. But we have been so excited to tell you!" 

The amount of vagueness in those sentences left a lump in his throat. Or was it a shiver down his spine? He couldn't tell. However he was certainly sitting up straight now. 

And of course, Rafeal eagerly entered the room, setting aside a blank canvas that he planned to pain on later. A wide smile spread across his face as he witnessed the blank expression his son was having. 

"Are....Are you guys another baby or something?? Because you all are acting prettyyyy weird." Marco began, curiosity burning at his neck. Though, he breathed a sigh of relief as his parents interrupted into hysterical laughter. 

"No, Mijo, We're sending you to study abroad like your sweetheart, Jackie!" Rafeal exclaimed, in between chuckles. 

"I'm sorry, You're doing _what now?_ " 

Angie wiped a tear from her eye as she regained her breath. 

"Yes! Though we need to explain some things behind it first. Well, for starters we've been noticing that you've been having a bit of trouble in school. Miss Skullnick called and said that you've been missing some homework and some tests because of your lack of motivation." 

"But that doesn't mean we're angry at you, Marco," Rafeal continued, still a bright smile on his face, "We understand what you're going through." 

" _Buuuuuut_ , Your father and I explored our options, And we think that sending you to Mewni will be the best for you!"

"I'm sorry, You're doing _WHAT?!_ " Marco exclaimed, this was all happening way to fast. First Jackie, now his parents are considering sending him to a foreign dimension! 

_Gee, Is this how Star felt?_

Then again, the same exact thing had happened to Star. She went through a messy breakup, and right afterwards her parents kicked her right onto Earth with little time to finalize everything. 

He was trying to make light of the situation, He would be reunited with Star once more. He would get to be a Knight like King River said, he even kept the Cape that Star's father had bestowed upon him. But things would be so awkward at first. 

What if Star didn't want him to come back? What if being Princess meant that she never got time to hang out? Would things still be awkward after that party? He had made that contract with Star, but how much would that actually block the memories? 

He turned those things out and listened to the rest of his parents' speech. 

"We talked to all of your friends. Including Janna, and we decided, Mewni might be the best place for you!" Rafeal explained, wrapping his arm around his wife. 

"Well, actually Janna said to send you to North Korea... But majority said Mewni!" Angie corrected, "We even spoke to Star's parents about it aswell. They would be delighted to have you, and they decided that you could live in the castle among them!" 

Marco hesitated for a second, "Wait, Queen Moon and King River? How in the world did you actually get ahold of them? Star's mirror is gone." 

"Yes! But we used those magic scissor thingies that you have to exchange letters!" Rafeal said, grabbing an open off-white envelope with a royal stamp. 

"Okay, you guys should not be messing with those! They can be extremely dangerous!" Marco warned, remembering his own personal mistakes with the scissors. Which lead to a 15 year long chase with Hekapoo in the Neverzone dimension. 

Angie only swatted her hand. "Oh Marco, don't be silly. We used a book Star left behind. It's all good. But we really think this trip can be good for you. You've been so upset since Jackie left, Going somewhere new is always a way to help relive grief!" 

Rafeal pointed to a specific poster on the wall showing a boy crying followed by a phone number. "I suggested that we call the Teen sadness hotline! But this idea sounded better!" 

"But, It's your choice, Honey. If you'd rather stay on Earth, That is perfectly fine. We just want to see our son happy and smiling again. Alfonso and Ferguson were really enthusiastic about the idea!" Angie exclaimed, reaching over to fix a stray strand of hair in Marco's face. 

Of course Alfonso and Ferguson would love the idea of Mewni. They were always invested with Star's crazy magic and medival culture. But was this really something Marco wanted to do? He really missed Jackie, but would this trip actually ease the pain? 

But then again, him and Star could go on all of those crazy adventures they once did. He could talk to River more about being a knight. Everything about the offer seemed enticing. But he couldn't just forget Jackie. However Marco had already made up his mind. 

"I'll go." He decided, sliding his plate of breakfast aside. Feeling slightly satisfied with his choice as he watched his mother excitedly clap her hands together. 

" _Oooo_ , We were hoping you would say yes! You're going to have a wonderful time!" Angie cheered, wrapping her arms around her son. Rafeal was quick to follow. 

"So when do I leave?" Marco asked, breaking away from their embrace to do the dishes. 

"Well, The King and Queen said that you can stay as early as a week from now. But _shhhhh_ , They said they want to keep it a suprise for Star!" 

"Yes," Rafeal continued, "They said she would be absolutely thrilled to have you there. Queen Butterfly also wants you there as a thank you for what you did when that.... _Lizard_?? _Man_?? Attacked." 

Would Star actually be happy to see him though? Marco still felt uneasy with the thought of him arriving and not being accepted by his best friend. 

"His name is _Toffee_ ," Marco corrected, "And that's good to hear." 

\-----------------

His last week on Earth seemed to drag as slowly as a sleep deprived tortoise. Which Marco could relate to as he was also very sleep deprived. Spending night after night tossing and turning, thinking about literally anything and everything. 

First, he would start thinking of Jackie, how much he missed her, her smile, the way she taught him how to skateboard. All the good memories they shared together lapped at him like floods. 

Then, He would think about the fight with Toffee. How for a few moments, it really felt like he had watched his closest friend perish before his eyes. The unsettling feeling in his stomach watching Queen Moon attack the Septarian out of grief with fruitless attempts. 

Or the fact that he watched the lizard get practically deep fried to a skeleton by Star, who had miraculously grown 6 arms and wings was a little terrifying too. 

And then he thought about Star. 

What if as soon as he arrived to Mewni, the first thing she did was turn her nose up to him? 

But Star wouldn't do that to him. That was incredibly out of her character, Marco knew her better than that. 

What if as soon as he got there, he found out that living the royal medieval lifestyle was not his thing. And he would have to go home immediately, embarrassing himself in front of Star and both of her monarch parents. 

And even worse... _What if he forgot about Jackie?_

No. He could never forget about Jackie. But wasn't this the whole point of the trip? 

He had to admit, a distraction from his troubles would indeed be nice. But he couldn't bare the thought of loosing her from his memories. But that was technically what Jackie was, 

_A memory_. 

It was too late, Marco was now taking in one last view of his bedroom before he left. Most of the shelves baren as his stuff had been packed away, ready for what awaited him. 

Deactivating his bedside clock that read, 11 am, to save electricity, Marco was off towards the stairs. 

"Oh! There he is! Goodmorning sweetheart! Are you ready to go? Is everything packed?" Angie called as Marco made his way down the stairs. However he became flustered by her comments as he witnessed not only his father in the room, but Alfonso, Ferguson, and Janna all standing below. 

"Yeah, _sweetheart_ , any last things you need to grab before you leave?" Janna asked, sniggering. 

Alfonso and Ferguson began to giggle like little girls, watching Marco roll his eyes at Janna's sarcastic responses. 

"Everything is all settled at the school and King and Queen Butterfly have been notified that you will be arriving any minute!" Rafael announced. 

"Oh! And make sure you open the portal inside the throne room, Queen Moon said that it would be easier that way." Angie finished, walking up to fix bits of Marco's hair. Which only made the Diazs' company laugh and mock more. 

"Hey make sure to get us some sweet potions from a witch while you're there, bro." Ferguson reminded. Alfonso shook his fists in excitement at this idea. 

"I want to shoot lasers out of my eyes like your dogs!" He announced, picking up one of the squirming lazer puppies. 

" _Psh_ , I can get you some _way_ cooler potions."

"Janna, giving people boiled hot dog water in bottles is _NOT_ a potion." Marco chastised, remembering how foolish he was to fall for that mistake. 

"Also don't worry guys, I'll make sure I will." He assured, reaching in to hug both of them. He really was going to miss those two. 

"Well sweetheart, They're waiting on you. Are you ready to see Star?" Angie asked, handing him his dimensional scissors, clearly fighting back tears. 

_Was he really ready to see Star?_

Marco wanted to pause time. He wanted to run. But run from what? Was Star going to be angry that he was showing up without her knowledge?

But he had made up his mind. Marco was going to Mewni. He had to accept that. 

He began to hold up the scissors, ready to strike midair and make a rift to step into. However he was stopped before he could actually do anything. 

"Don't think you can just leave without giving us a hug, Mijo!" Rafeal said, grabbing his son by the shoulders. 

"Oh yeah!" Marco exclaimed, slightly embarrassed by his negligence. He quickly went into the arms of his parents. 

"Bye everyone!" He called, using one arm to wave while the other carried his blue duffle bag. 

"Bye honey, we love you!" Angie called back before watching her son step into the swirling pink and blue portal. 

Suddenly, Marco found himself to be standing in a grand space. A behemoth room decorated in shades of magenta stone and bright tapestries. The floor entirely made from sparkling white and blue marble. Finished by the sight of two customly made thrones sitting at the very edge of the room. He had been here before, but each time felt new as he took in the place's true awe. 

He flinched forward slightly as he felt the portal close behind him. His gateway home. 

Now he was on Mewni. His heart pounded in his chest as he anticipated what was awaiting him. 

"Ah, Marco, dear! It's lovely to see you again." The voice of the Queen almost made Marco jump out of his skin. Despite her fancy and lavish appearance of baby blue and pearls, this woman was not a force to reckon with. 

Despite having a King at her side, she was the soul ruler of Mewni. Having been trained at magic her whole life, she could easily be the hands of someone's demise. She ruled her kingdom with total seriousness. Marco remembered some of the jokes Star had made about how her Mother never seemed to smile. Eventhough she had taken a liking to Marco, he still felt stiff as a stone when he saw her. 

She had placed a gloved hand on his shoulder. A welcoming look crossing her face as she took in the boy. 

"It's lovely to see you too... Y-Your Majesty." Marco stuttered.

What was he doing?! Making himself look like a complete goon in front of the Queen? Star's mom for sake! But then again, she had watching Marco get slammed into a wall by Toffee only four weeks ago. 

Luckily, she only chuckled amusingly in response. 

"Oh Marco, no need to use such high terms. After everything you did for us, for Star, you're always welcome as one of us. I'm so glad that you're here. Also I appologize for River's absence. He's off doing one of those lectures in the villages." 

Marco felt a little relieved at the Queen's hospitality. Though, he knew what kind of ~lectures~ River was doing. More like parading in the woods with a loin cloth, looking for any monster to pick a fight with. Which honestly suprised Marco that Moon had not picked up on it yet. 

"Which, by lectures, I mean he's parading in the woods with a loin cloth, looking for monsters to pick fights with. He just doesn't think I know it yet." 

Well Marco surely wasn't expecting that. But at the same time it didn't come as a suprise. 

"Anyways! Let's go collect Star, shall we? She should be in her room. She's going to be bouncing off the walls to see you." Queen Moon said, clasping her hands together. 

'No doubt about that, Star has literally bounced off the walls before.' Marco thought, he was starting to feel more at ease with his surroundings. But it was short lived as two gaurds began to flank him. 

Moon quickly shooed them away with a quick flick of her hand. "Leave him be, He's our guest!" She explained, gently taking Marco by the arm. 

"I have to appologize, Marco. There was a recent... _Incident_ at the castle lately and we've had to boost security to the max. I won't explain the details to you now, however I know Star will have more than enough to ramble about on the matter." 

"Hehe, yeah, That's Star for you." Marco replied as they began to exit the throne room and into the elegant halls of Butterfly castle. 

What in the world could have possibly happened? Of course the Ludo and Toffee scenario happened, but Marco was there. He wouldn't have to be told by Queen Moon that something had gone down. 

It only added more to Marco's anxieties as he noticed the the upgrade of numbers among the gaurds in the halls. But it couldn't mask the dizziness that was crushing him the closer they approached Star's bedroom. 

"Are you alright, Marco? I know moving from one place to another can be quite flustering. I just want to make sure you're okay?" Queen Butterfly was now facing him, her blue eyes full of concern. 

"Yeah. It's all good. I'm just going through alot lately. It's kinda hard to take it all in." 

"Of course. Your parents told me about the girl, Jackie. I'm so sorry, dear. These things can be fickle sometimes. But it's life. You won't believe how long it took me to realize River was the one. And it might not seem like it, but I have never been more happier." 

"Thanks, Your Maje- I mean, _Moon_." Marco stuttered once more. Though, at this point he didn't care as the familiar insignias came into his view. 

He could feel his heart drop as he observed the wooden door, covered with small doodles and the words, ' _Star's room_ '. 

Finally, he was now battling the fears that had kept him up for night after night back on Earth. It all seemed like a blur to him. 

"Just wait one second while I fetch her." Moon said, lifting her clenched palm to knock. 

"Star? It's me." She called, with a sequence of three knocks. Marco watched in dead silence, suprised that the loud jumping in his chest wasn't audible to only him. However after a few moments, there was no response. 

"Star? Open up, I have someone who I think you would really want to see!" Moon once again called. Awaiting her daughter's arrival at the door. But once again, the Queen was met with eerie silence. 

" _Star_ , I'm not going to ask you again, If you don't open this door, _I will_!" She warned. 

Marco didn't know what to think. Could Star possibly have known that he was here? Was his suspicions confirmed? 

"I have to appologize for her incompetence, Marco. But you know her sense of rebellion. Looks like I'm going to have to get her the hard way." 

"Maybe we can just.. Come back late- Oh okay." Marco began to suggest, but stopped once he saw the Queen's hand enclose in a blue aurora. Miraculously, the door knob unhinged itself. 

Well atleast magic had been restored. 

Moon impatiently pushed the door towards, and stomped inside. 

" _Young lady, when I tell you to open a door you must compl- What_?" The women's voice had gone from authoritarian to utter confusion. Despite his senses of foreboding, Marco followed the Queen inside. Eyeing the room as if he was just there only yesterday, helping Star get over whatever hijinks she had caused for that day. But he found himself to be staring at an empty room. 

"Where could she possibly be? Oh no, this just- Oh this just ruins the suprise and- _Oh no..._ " Moon fretted, frantically looking around Star's room. 

"She couldn't possibly be in the castle. I've even asked the servants and maids if she was in her room! Oh no.." 

Marco felt empathy for the poor Queen. He knew what it was like to have plans completely diminish in front of his eyes. Before he could speak up, it was like the monarch had already read his thoughts. 

"It's okay, Marco. I just need to make a small phone call." 

\---------------

"Thanks for taking me back home, Tom. I'm totally not in the mood to face _the Undaunted_ right now. Too bad Ponyhead had to dip." Star said as her and the Demon Prince arrived into the hallways of Butterfly Castle. 

"Hey, It's no problem! It's the least I could do after you pretty much saved me back there. Also, I'm enjoying the quiet." Tom replied, walking eagerly beside her. Clearly relieved that the floating horse head princess was gone. 

"I'm just so confused. Marco literally came out of no where! But Mom didn't seem to suprised about it." 

"Yeah that is kinda odd. Maybe she knew ahead of time." Tom said as they turned the hallway to Star's room. 

It had been almost a month since Star had even spoken to Marco. She was excited to see him of course, but slightly concerned. What was he needing from her? Was everything okay back on Earth? Was Jackie alright? She had to find out, and that was what she was going to find out. 

"Hey Queen Moon, Sup Marco!" Tom greeted as the two entered the room. Both Marco and Moon's faces widened in suprise. 

"Oh, Tom! It's.. It's nice to see you here!" Queen Moon exclaimed, clearly baffled by seeing her Daughter's ex-boyfriend in such a positive interaction. Marco's expression matched the women's to a T. 

"Thanks!" He said with a toothy smile. 

"Um.. _Hey_ dude!" Marco greeted, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. 

"It's great to see ya, man!" Tom said, patting Marco's back and shaking his hand as if they were old long lost friends. Star honestly found it cute. 

"Um, Are you feeling alright dude? You kinda... You kinda always seem like you wanna kill me everytime you see me." 

"No, man, I'm not about that now. I've made the decision to put our differences aside. I'm sorry for doing all of those things to you earlier, I kind of really put you in a lot of danger. But if you wanna be buds now, I'm totally down! If that's okay with you of course." 

"Tom and I decided to make up and become friends again!" Star explained, happily striding up to them. "He's been super sweet lately, and honestly, I'm glad that we worked things out." 

Star turned to face Marco, but the look he gave her almost felt like a narwhal blast to the heart. He was staring at her as if she was some kind of alien. And to put it simple, he looked rough. 

Star could read him like a book, the dark circles under his eyes, the beads of sweat on his face. Something was clearly wrong, and Star's concerns began to grow. 

"Well, I shall leave you kids alone. Marco, dear, let me or any of the servants know If you need anything. Star will help you settle in." Moon declared, stopping to pat Tom on the shoulder before exiting the room. "It was nice to see you again, Tom." 

And with that, the three teens were left alone. That was until Tom began to make his stride towards the door. 

"Well, I think I better hit the road as well. Had a busy day and all. Also, thanks again Starship. Seeya, Marco!" Tom announced before turning to leave. 

Star was disappointed to see him go, but completely understood. 

"Bye Tom! Also sorry we couldn't get that icecream!" She hyperly waved. 

"Bye, dude!" Marco said. 

"It's cool! Maybe next time! See you guys!" 

And now, there were only two teens and an awkward tension to fill the room. 

Star instantly grappled at Marco's duffle bag from his shoulder. 

"You can't keep this on your shoulder all day, Silly! You can hurt yourself!" Star was trying to conceal her worries as she helped slide the bag off of Marco's arm. He still kept that odd look on her. It was almost like he was in a trance. 

"I'm _sooo_ pumped that you're staying with us!" Star cheered, "It feels like it's been forever since we last saw eachother! _Oooo_ We can have sleep overs every night! Listen to some Love Sentence! Oh! And in the morning we can eat _pizza_ for _breakfast_! Mewni doesn't exactly have any pizza places, but that doesn't stop us from making our own!" 

All of a sudden, Marco seemed to snap back to reality. He quickly spun to face her. 

" _Wait_.. You're not mad that I'm here?" He had asked, his face slightly lightening up. However he still seemed to look beaten, which was really starting to unnerve her. 

" _Mad_? Why would I be _mad_? I'm happy! My best friend is getting to live with us! You have to tell me everything that I've missed!" Star rambled. 

Her Mom had previously explained the reason of Marco's visit. How he would be staying with them for the next couple of months, almost like the same exchange program Star had used to come to Earth. Though, she had never really explained exactly why Marco had showed up in the first place. 

"Oh, That's great!" He said. Smiling for the first time he arrived. "I was actually terrified that you would be angry that I came out of no where." 

"Of course I wouldn't be! But I know someone in particular who _DID_ get mad when I showed up unexpectedly. Then we could have been even!" Star reminded him in a sing song voice. But with in a matter of seconds, her voice plummeted to a worrisome pitch.

"But... Are you okay though? You seem really _REALLY_ tired! As if you've been watching The Shrek movies _alllll_ night long!" Star asked, for some reason the green ogre man came to mind. "You can always tell me if something's wrong, y'know!" 

Marco seemed to hesitate, looking for an adequate answer to use. 

"Yeah. I'm good. I just didn't get much sleep last night." 

"Oh you poor thing! Alrighty, Mr. Diaz, well I have a couple of errands to run. But you're super super tired. So, stay in here and taking a nice lil' ol' nap. And I'll be back before you know it!" Star briefly explained before bolting out of the room, barely giving the Earth boy a chance to speak. 

She slowed her pace as soon as the door slammed shut behind her. She needed to take a walk somewhere. To possibly get her mind off of things. 

_Why does he look so rough?_ Star thought as her feet drifted her towards the rose garden. 

_And why DID he come to Mewni in the first place?_

Was he still mad at her for Song day and the party? Is one of the Lazerpuppies hurt? Star couldn't think of an explanation to piece to Marco's bizarre behavior. 

Maybe all he needed was some rest? That is why she left him in her room. 

Star hadn't even realized that she was mumbling under her breath. It was all too much for her to take in. First, Songday. Then Eclipsa. And now Marco's in trouble too? 

She remained in her stasis of deep thought, that was when she felt the sudden stiffness of a foreign object in her path. With a loud clanking noise, Star found herself face down in the soft grass. A dull ache beginning to throb in her ankle of the victim foot. 

She rolled over to see what the culprit of her fall was, and was immediately taken aback to find a rather sizable metal link chain, glittering in the bright noon sun. However, Star was hastily on her feet once more as her gaze shifted upon the former Queen Eclipsa sitting quietly on a stone bench. 

"Hello!" She greeted Star with a small wave, scattering contents from a paper bag to a flock of birds that circled below. 

Observing Eclipsa in broad daylight slightly shocked Star, as she was the number one most dangerous prisoner in Mewni at the moment. Despite her rather innocent demeanor, it graciously contrasted to the insanely outrageous accusations made against her. 

Well, atleast Star found them outrageous. 

The soul purpose for Eclipsa being here was on the fact that she ran from her foreign marriage to elope with the King of Monsters. She had also performed a number of dark spells that resulted in a hazard for future queens to use magic. Her chapter was locked away, and so was woman when she was sentenced to eternity in one of Rhombulus's crystal. 

But, due to a deal Star's mother had made when she was a kid had lead to Eclipsa's freedom as the terms of a promise to diminish Toffee. Once Star had eliminated Toffee after reconnecting with magic, Eclipsa was realised from her Crystal, and now stationed in the rose tower to await further trial. 

Despite these claims, Star still felt there was something good about the Queen. Of course she didn't fully trust her. But, was falling in love such a horrible thing? And Star had even read the forbidden chapter of the Magic Book of Spells when it was still in one piece. It wasn't even that detrimental to begin with. 

But the Princess saught to strike a conversation. 

"Oh, Eclipsa! They're giving you some out door time." Star began, approaching the bench while ignoring the growing pain in her shin. "That's great." 

"I know, and real dragon chains too. They make a lady feel so free." 

_Okay, that's kinda sad,_ Star almost said outloud. Yet, she was able to catch her words last minute. 

"Oh yeah, that's awesome!" Star politefully responded. Her feelings out of of placement began to increase as the Queen of Darkness was observing the princess under the shade of her feathered hat. 

"Are you alright, dear? I saw you take that nasty fall. You also seemed very troubled when you strolled in." Eclipsa asked, actually appearing sympathetic for the rambunctious teen. 

"Yeah, Yeah, I'm good. I'm just trying to walk things off. Today's been pretty wacky. Kind of like Dinosaur chicken nuggets. Now those are _whacky_!" 

Eclipsa seemed to ponder for a second, as if she was thinking. 

"Well, would you care to sit?" She asked, scrapping dust off an empty space upon the bench. 

Star paused to analyze her options. She would never hear the end of it from Queen Moon if she had been discovered to be taking to Eclipsa. But, she started to feel the need to speak. Speak about Marco, about how his somber appearance, speak about Tom's near decision to eradicate his entire personality. There was alot on her shoulders. 

"I would like that very very much!" Star exclaimed, plopping down onto the bench. It felt warm against her legs from the prolonged exposure to sunlight. 

Eclipsa shifted to hand her the brown bag, "Here, feed the birds. It always makes me feel better." 

The queen raised her eyebrows in suprise at how belligerently Star yanked the bag from her gloved hands. 

"I'm just so worried, you know!" Star exclaimed, tossing one round of... Weird popcorn to the birds. Then proceeding to taste the crumbs herself. 

She grimaced at the odd taste. 

_Well I surely haven't had popcorn like this! What is this?_

Star would have asked, but she was too focused on pouring out her fears towards Marco to care. 

"I mean, I don't know what I even did to him! He shows up today to stay, which I have no idea why in the first place, and he looks like a total wreck! I'm scared that I did something, if it's my fault!" Star attempted to make out, cramming her mouth full with the odd popcorn, even slinging some onto Eclipsa by accident. 

"So... _What's his name?_ " 

That question completely threw Star off gaurd. The way Eclipsa was watching her signaled that it was in _THAT_ context. Which sent her into a silent panic. 

"Oh _no no no no no_! It's not like that!" 

_Well not anymore_. 

"It's just Marco!" 

"Ah, Marco. So that's it." 

"Yes," Star began once more, shoveling more crumbs into her mouth. "I mean, I used to like him like that. Well I guess I did. But I always tried to deny it because he loved another girl, he loves another girl. Her name is Jackie. But he was so happy, I just couldn't do that to him. He's my best friend! But I couldn't keep it a secret that long, which was my fault. And now I think I've ruined things between us forever!" 

"Well didn't you say he came to stay with you today? It sounds to me like he's seeking reconciliation. You had good intentions. I don't think it's something that he would get angry at you for." Eclipsa explained, lifting an estranged crumb to a bird nesting in her hat. 

"Yeah... It's just.. It's been a month since we last spoke. And he actually seemed happy when I tried to welcome him back. But he just seemed so... _Weird_!" 

"Well, I would talk to him, dear. He's probably going through something and needs to let it all out. Just as you decided to talk to me." 

"Yeah. YEAH!" Star bellowed, snacking down her bag of popcorn. "I'm going to speak to Marco Diaz this instant and find out what's wrong!" 

"That's wonderful." The queen said with a smile, reaching to take back her bag. 

"Thanks for the Chat, also thanks for the popcorn!" Star called as she sped off to her room. She could have sworn that she heard Eclipsa say something along the lines of, " _That wasn't popcorn._ " But she chose to ignore that. 

Star was going to get to the bottom of this. 

\-----------------

" _Wakey wakey eggs and bakey._ " Star said, leaning over Marco's sleeping body. Putting her face right up to his. It reminded her of the way she had always woken him up on Earth. 

"Hh wah- oH DEAR MOTHER OF-" Marco screeched before flipping off of the bed, ending his peaceful slumber with a bang. 

"Hey sleeping beauty! Did you get a good nap?" Star asked, pulling the trembling boy to his feet. 

"You have _GOT_ to stop doing that!" Marco scolded, swiping the dust off of his bright red hoodie. 

"Aww, but then it's not fun!" Star protested with a pout. 

"Don't worry, Star. _I'll get you back sometime._ " Marco threatened, falling back upon the bed. 

"Ooo, that reminds me. While I was gone, guess who performed a special kind of spell!" 

"Everytime you said that back on Earth, Star, I would come down stairs to find the kitchen sink on fire. The kitchen sink. _How does a kitchen sink even catch on fire?_ " Marco said, his face dropping to an unamused frown. 

"Well maybe the sink should have thought about his words twice before speaking!"

"Star, I dont think- alright, what kinda spell did you do?" Marco said, stretching his arms out to yawn. 

"I'm very glad you asked." Star answered with a very mischievous grin. "Follow me!" 

She then grabbed Marco by the arm, yanking him clear our of the room. 

" _STAR_!!!" Marco screamed, clearly startled  
By being dragged against his will through the winding hallways at top speed. 

" _Annnnnnd_ , We're here!!" 

Marco gaped at the sight of his bedroom door among the environment of Butterfly Castle. 

" _No_! You didn't!" 

" _Yes!_ I did! Now open the door, Silly, and take a look inside!" 

Star didn't think Marco's mouth could get any wider when the pair stepped into his bedroom back on Earth. Every single item replaced just how Marco had left them earlier that day. Well of course for the objects he packed in his duffle bag. 

"But... But _how_?!!" 

"Sparkle glitter bomb expand! Duh! It's the one I used when I first moved to your house!" Star pridefully announced with a flick of her wand. 

"Star.. This is _awesome_!! Thank you so mu- _OW!_ " Marco yelped as a lazerpuppy shot at his bare hand. 

"You even got the lazer puppies in here too?!" He asked, his eyes getting brighter by the minute. 

For a moment, Star almost forgot that this was the same moping teen she had seen less than 2 hours ago. But his demeanor was still... off. 

"Hey Marco.. Actually I wanted to talk to you real quick. Y'know, while we're here." 

"Yeah of course." 

"Well... I'm like super mega ultra absolutely excited that you're here with Sprinkles on top, but... When you arrived you looked kinda spooked. Like a ghost, and you looked pretty sad... I was just wondering if there's something you're probably not telling me... I mean I'm not angry or anything." Star began, her focus shifting between Marco's eye contact, the puppies, and her shoe. 

"Oh... Well- _It's fine_! Everything's good! I'm not _sad_!" Marco's voice quivered as he spoke. He was obviously lying. 

"Mr. Diaz, Lying is _wrong_! I know you better! Spill the beans! You can trust me!" 

Marco seemed to hesitate, as if he was avoiding her glance. However he finally came back. 

"Alright... This is kinda hard to talk about but... to put it simple... Jackie broke up with me." 

Star felt like someone had slapped her in the face. Jackie had broken up with Marco? But they were such a good couple! Or that's atleast what Star thought. 

"Oh.. _Oh_... Marco I am so _so_ sorry!" Star gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. "I don't know what to say... _What happened?_ " 

"Well, it was mutual. Which is on the bright side... But it still really stings. But she got accepted to go study abroad in France, and we just decided to break things off there. I know it's only been two weeks. But I really really miss her." 

"Oh, _Marco_." Star said somberly as she pulled him into a long hug. It felt nice after being split for almost a month, but she knew he was hurting. A hug was probably what he needed the most at the moment. 

After what felt for an eternity, Star was the first to break away. 

"Marco, you know you're welcome to stay as long as you want. Take as long as you need to recover." 

"Thanks Star. Actually, I'm glad I came. I'm happy to have my best friend back," He gave a soft smile. 

"I am too." She returned the same smile. "Anyways, enough moping around! Dinner's gonna be served soon! Mom said something about Pizza rolls since it's your first night with us!" 

"Okay, I am 99.9% sure your mom did not say that we're having pizza rolls, Star." 

"Well... _No_ , she said salmon. But a girl can dream." 

"No kidding. Anyways I'll meet you down there soon." 

"Don't keep me waiting, _Diaz_!" 


	3. The Calm Before The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A progression through the months after Marco's arrival of how him and Star are adjusting to their lives on Mewni.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone!! Thank you so much for reading. Gosh I worked nonstop over this Chapter, as it took me forever. I headcannon Season 3 taking place over the course of 8 months, which leads me into an apology on the many time skips in this chapter! Anyways! Hope you enjoy!!

~ 1 week after arrival on Mewni ~ 

"Okay, But if the C and E in the word Ocean make a 'sh' sound, and the O and U in the word about make an 'Ow' sound..." Star was rambling as her and Marco strolled the lush castle halls. 

"Go on." Marco told her, though, he knew that whatever the outcome was, it would be absolutely ridiculous. 

"Okay, and then the OLO in Colonel makes an 'er' sound... Then can we spell the word 'Shower' as 'Ceouolo?'" She asked, glancing expectantly at her companion, watching him drop into a fatigueful face palm. 

"Dear COB Star it's only _8 am_!" Marco groaned, rubbing his temples. That was in fact true, they were just walking back from breakfast. Which, to his preference, would have been at a later hour if it weren't for the rigorous work schedule of Queen Moon. 

The Princess broke into a slow skip with the wand as the hallway became more and more dotted with the presence of knights, all eyes turning to observe the future queen and her bestfriend.

However, it had to be the sight of their future queen playfully swinging the royal wand as if she were a child with a new toy. 

"Oh come on, Marco! Don't be such a frowny f- _AH_!" Star shrieked when she abruptly crashed to the floor. 

Marco instinctively turned towards the girl, who was spatting random types of cookies. Which of course were replacements for curse words, however Star remained unaware of this knowledge after going to a public highschool on Earth. 

"You good?" Marco asked, reaching out a hand to her. She quickly swatted him away. 

"No, No, I'm good! It's all good! _Holy Snickerdoodle_ , how in the world did I fall?!" She blurted, pushing herself up to sweep the bits of dust off of her mint green dress, bending down once more to retrieve the magic wand from the floor. 

Marco couldn't help himself to snort in amusement. Of course the one day that Star chose to wear sneakers she would let them go untied, he observed from the tangle of laces upon the girl's foot. And overall, the sight of watching someone getting tripped up was enough to lighten Marco's spirit for the rest of the day. 

Despite the humourous scene in front of him, it still brought a pain of sadness to his mind. It reminded him of when him and Jackie would laugh and joke around at mishaps like that. Even though he was on Mewni, the thought of her still continously plagued his mind. Both of them were so far from home, but so far from eachother. But that was the reason they had broken up in the first place. 

Even though they had ended the relationship on good terms, Marco still felt overcome with sadness when he thought of her. He missed everything about her, from her admirable down to Earth personality to her baby blue streak of hair. But he was sent to Mewni to recover. The only question was, could he? 

"Hey, Diaz. Rise and shine!" 

Marco was too succumbed within his thoughts to even notice Star snapping for his attention. He hastily perked up to find her waving the violet wand in his direction. However, her eyes were glinted with a tad bit of concern. It was obvious that she clearly knew what Marco was thinking about. 

"Yes?" 

"Phew, I thought you were turning into a zombie or something! Can you grab my wand so I can tie my shoe? Just don't explode anything!" She asked, hoping awkward on one foot, looking kind of like an oddball flamingo. 

"Oh yeah, Sorry." Marco said as he gently reached for the wand, cautiously slipping it out of the Princess's hand. But what happened next took Marco's breath away...

Literally. 

As soon as his fingers wrapped around the wand, an electric tension shocked the hall as an angry cry erupted from one of the gaurds. 

" _He took the Princess's wand!!_ " 

" _PIN HIM!_ "

Within seconds, adrenaline pumped through Marco's veins as a horde of gaurds charged for him at full speed, so fast that he didn't have time to form the right stance. And within that moment, the wand was ripped from his hands, and his arms were bound by the arms of outraged knights in their silver armor. 

Thankfully, the furious cries coming from Star caused the crowd to swiftly disperse as the teen stomped to the spot where the gaurds released Marco to the floor. 

"Why did you guys attack him?! He is our guest! He didn't even do anything!" Star chastised, snatching back the wand that was the culprit of the skirmish. 

"U-Uh, Sorry, Your Highness! He- He uh, grabbed your wand and with um... Everything that's been going on-" a gaurd began to stutter, shivering in embarrassment. 

Marco was too baffled at what just happened to respond. 

"Still that doesn't give you a right to just attack people! I was asking him to hold it for me!" She exclaimed, rapidly patting her foot upon the ground. "Come on Marco, let's go tell my Mom!" 

"Uh oka-" Marco was about to respond until Star began shuffling him down the hallway. As they began to stroll further away from the scene, Star's face began to lighten. 

"So we're not telling your mom. Are we?" 

Star scoffed, "Nah. I just like messing with those guys," She said with a slight giggle. "But still they shouldn't attack you though. It's all because they're on _~High security watch~._ My mom's orders." She mocked in a fake elegant and snobbish voice. 

Marco was suddenly reminded of last week when Queen Moon had to ease the tension between the gaurds upon Marco's arrival. Well, before a quick apology on the most recent situation. 

Speaking of the most recent situation... 

"So. When I arrived last week, I kinda got flanked by those same gaurds when I came through the portal and greeted your mom."

"Mhm. Yeah she told me." 

"Yeah but, she said there was some... security situation? I mean, I know the whole Ludo and Toffee thing was probably enough to raise the stakes but... should I be worried?" 

"Eh, nah. We're calling it a high security thingy or whatever. But it's just my evil grandma. Nothing to worry about." 

Marco was taken aback, "You're _what?!_ " He exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. "But you told me your Grandma was dead! And that she was a nice cooking queen who made pies!" 

"Psh, Silly Marco, I have multiple grandmas. Great grandmas" 

"Ohhh. Well I don't see how a really old lady can be such a threat! They just give you weird candies from their purse and ask a little too personal questions about your relationship life." 

"Well, she actually looks super young, but she's like 300 years old so I guess that's old?? But she sure does love candy!"

"Star. That makes... literally... _zero sense_." 

"Yes it does. You just gotta think about it!" 

"Again, _Zero. Sense._ " 

"You make Zero sense!" 

"Gee, Thanks." 

But to Marco's suprise, the conversation took a more serious turn as the same look of concern fell upon Star's face once more. 

"Hey... Are you sure you're okay though? You were kinda _uhduhuhhh_ back there. You didn't even notice that I did the macarena!" 

"You did the _Macarena_??" 

"See! If you were paying attention you would have known that I didn't do the macarena!" 

"Star, Where exactly are you going with this?" 

"Well it's just, I know you came here to sort out your emotions with Jackie and all... And I mean, Of course you're going to be upset. I just... I just want you to know if you need anyone to talk to, I'm here." 

Marco flinched, quickly coming up with a lie on the spot. " _Whaaaaaa_? _Me_? _Upset_? _Nahhhh_ , I'm just y'know... A Lil' Bummed out since I figured out your dad wasn't all that serious about making me a knight!" 

That wasn't all a lie. Marco did have some reminiscence of disappointment after he learned that King River was bluffing when it came to making the boy a knight. And even more disappointed when he discovered that his beloved knight cape was a used meat blanket that was once in the King's possession. 

"Marco, Janna told me you cried for 6 days straight."

"Oh of course Janna would tell you that! But, yeah... It's just super hard forgetting about it though. It's almost been a month now since we split up but sometimes it just feels like it happened only yesterday! I really miss her." 

Star paused for a moment to think before supportively placing a hand on his shoulder. 

"Listen Marco, This stuff can be...Messy to say the least. But Jackie's probably super happy in France, however she probably misses you like crazy too! But you can be happy again. You just have to give it some time. I know you can overcome it, and it's okay to feel sad! You have emotions and something like this can just mess em' all up! But I want you too feel better again, wherever it takes a month or 57 years!" Star said, ending with a cheerful smile as she always did. 

Speeches like this always lightened Marco's mood. Even though missing his ex girlfriend stung like a bad burn, advice from his bestfriend never failed to take the frown off of his face. 

"Thanks Star, I knew I could count on you." Marco replied, starting to head down the hallway once again. 

"Of course ya can!" The girl exclaimed as she returned to her skipping. 

"But seriously, can I spell it as Ceouolo?" 

  
~ 1 month after arrival on Mewni ~ 

  
Marco had later figured out that Star's mysterious fugitive Grandmother was the former evil Queen Eclipsa, who's chapter ended up getting Marco the equivalent of possessed when the book stil existed. He had also learned that she had been imprisoned by the Magical High Comission in a crystal for over 300 years and was only freed due to a deal Queen Moon made with her to defeat Toffee years back. 

Marco had also gone on to be appointed as Star's royal squire which was a controversial role to say the atleast. Neither one of them knew if a Princess could even have a squire, but Moon and River didn't seem to have any problems with it. 

It had happened when Star had discovered the meat blanket in his closet one afternoon. What Star was in his closet for still remained a mystery, however it sparked the conversation on Marco still wanting to achieve knighthood. 

He had responded with a mere 'sure' but that was enough for Star to turn it into an exaggerated ceremony. 

Marco had also noticed a lightness in his mood within the past couple of weeks. Gradually, he had started to feel more uplifted with the breakup. Of course he still missed Jackie like crazy, but he was slowly starting to recover from what had happened between them. They had even exchanged texts, and based off of what he could infer, she seemed incredibly happy in France. 

Speaking of communication to Earth, Marco was overjoyed to learn the upcoming of his new sibling. In the letter, his parents had gone on to explain that the suspected gender was a boy. Their name choices however was what Marco disliked the most. 

' _Who would ever name their child after it's sibling?_ ' Marco had thought one day as he imagined the idea of calling his brother, 'Marco Jr.'

Either way, a week later as the Princess's Squire, Marco was eating dinner with the Royal Family after the fiasco from the night before. 

Marco didn't know exactly on what to think when Star pleaded him to watch her sleep. Which in it's entirety was frankly unsettling, but never in a million years did he expect to wake up to see the girl emerge from the portal as a terrifying butterfly creature dragging the Goblin Dog truck with her. 

The day after didn't seem to bring any good vibes when Star brought the topic up at the table, visibly uncomfortable as she turned towards the Queen.

"So, Mom. You know that big Butterfly thing you can turn into when you're all mad and you feel like scaring people?" She asked, wiggling her fingers for dramatic effect. 

Moon paused to glance at her daughter, slight confusion falling upon her face. 

"It's not for scaring people Star." The Queen corrected her daughter. 

" _Righhhhht right right right_. So does that ever happen.... _Unintentionally_?" 

Marco observed the conversation with worry. After what he witnessed the night before, he was probably as anxious as Star was. 

"Well it starts with Mewberty." Moon began, "But after that it requires years of training." 

"Ohhhh Good good good good....But what if it just sorta happened.... _randomly_." Star said, Marco could tell that she was beating around the bush. 

"Star, It doesn't happen randomly. Okay? It happens in times of need. Like.. When you defeated Toffee." 

"But... What if it did... Happen randomly?"

" _CATASTROPHE_!!!" A voice from the other end of the table boomed. All eyes turned to find that King River had joined the conversation. Who was now erupting into a playful laughter. 

"Yes! We'd have to put you in the dungeon!" River declared, pointing his finger towards his trembling daughter. 

Moon was clearly unamused by her husband's outburst. 

" _River_ ," She warned, a frown forming upon her face. 

"No!! The Magical High Comission would come and take you away!! There'd be weeks of examinations! You'd be locked away forever!" 

Star began to sink into her chair, Marco watched as the silent panic took over his best friend. He couldn't tell if she knew that her father was only joking as he burst into even more wild laughter. 

"River, _Please_." Moon interjected. 

"I mean," Rived continued, waving his hand, "If this happened, Eventually we'd just have to adopt a new princess-" 

"River, _Enough_!" Moon ordered, turning to face Star who was now eye level with the plates on the table. "Star? Is everything alright?" 

Marco also turned to look at the heart cheeked girl. What was just said really had to be that big of a deal if Star Butterfly was phased by it. His worries only tripled as she swung herself into proper position, instantly appearing fine once more. 

"Oh!" She exclaimed with a nervous chuckle, "Yeah! Everything is totally normal, obviously! I was just asking so that I could be prepared to handle It if I ever do learn to transform like you on purpose." She dismissed.

Marco crossed his arms in annoyance. What in the world was she doing? What she was doing every night was extremely dangerous. She could even get herself killed for corn's sake! He couldn't sit there and watch her put her life at risk. He had to speak up... 

"Queen Moon," Marco began, ready to explain the false information that was given. However, Star quickly read his decision. Marco jerked forward as he felt a hard kick slam into his shin. He instantly recalled his idea. 

"I have... _Nothing to say_!" 

Marco didnt realize that later in the night he would have been dragged through the infinite void as if he were a dog toy. When he had chained himself to Star, it didn't occur to him that he would have been sucked into the portal with her. After being saved by the Queen of Darkness herself, Eclipsa, Marco began to think Star was biting off more than she could chew. 

The current events kept burning into Marco's mind as the weeks passed. He had spent the day prior to his birthday assisting Kelly and Tad from their messy breakup on the Soul Rising in the Underworld. Which built up even more pressure on his shoulders as the more he spoke, the more he thought about Jackie. 

From breaking the Pigeon Prince's leg to chasing after mysterious portals with Hekapoo, they had officially came to the conclusion that Star was doing some suspicious portaling in her sleep. 

Him and the Princess had assembled with, to Marco's distaste, Janna to get to the bottom of the issue. Though he was unconscious throughout most of the night, his stomach was still tied into knots with worry. Once he watched Star zoom into the portal with the phone attached to her head, his body went numb. 

Well it was either by the fact that his bestfriend was most likely flying herself to impending doom, or it could have been the fact that Janna hypnotized him to faint anytime he heard the word "Chicken butt." 

He fought the urge to open a portal to retrieve her all night, however he remained static on Janna's orders. But things took a turn for the worst when Star flew into a behemoth portal, engulfed with many twirling colors. He had quickly glanced at the wand resting upon her table, and to Janna's protests, he grabbed it within a split decision. 

At first nothing had happened, he felt a slight buzzing in his arms, which turned out to be the calm before the storm as the wand erupted into rapid magic explosions. 

When Marco thought that he was a burning corpse, he looked down to find the wand had morphed into a forest green hue, with two black bat wings on the sides. For a final touch, Janna had dotted it with a sharpie, explaining that it needed to share his signature mole. 

Holding the wand that had played a huge role in his life for the past year was already a massive step, but within the next moment he found himself frantically reciting a spell from Star's makeshift notebook. As he chanted the words, he noticed a dim glow arising from his cheeks. However, he quickly forgot. His mind was dancing back and forth between the thoughts of Him or Star kicking the bucket as a result of his actions. 

The spell had opened something similar to a gateway, which had allowed him to find Star sitting upon a unicorn in a strange... yellow liquid. She had clearly lost her memory, though Marco's attempt to grab her had become feeble as the spell collapsed on him, creating a breath taking explosion that destroyed a good portion of the room. 

Once he had awoken, Star had returned in her Butterfly form safe and unharmed. Marco was mostly in the same state, however he recieved a mere lecture from Star about the consequences of taking her wand. They had also learned that the portals were a result of Star searching for the Realm of Magic. A strange dimension containing the Multiverse's main source of magic, which also had the capability to wipe the memories of its visitors. 

Eventhough Marco could finally sleep in serenity once more, the past weeks had began to take effect on him. He had realized that his nonstop adventures with Star had gradually started to heal the wound that the breakup with Jackie had left. 

He still missed Jackie, he really did. But maybe he didn't need to dwell on the past anymore. Jackie was happy, and he was beginning to see that he was too. From liberating St. Olga's as Princess Turdina from Heinous once more to cracking an insane portal case, Marco began to think...

Maybe he was starting to move on. 

  
~ 5 months after arrival on Mewni ~ 

"Tom I cannot thank you _enough_ for this!" 

"Oh no, It's really no problem, Star! I'm just happy to help." 

Star stood by the punch bowl as she observed the party. She was rather proud of her work, from her abilities of turning a beaten Monster Temple to a bright ball room, and how she was able to bring a group of Monsters and Mewmans together in peace, Star felt that her talents were in the right place. 

"I just really hope all goes well y'know?" She began. "It's just monsters and Mewmans have been fighting for generations. I just want it to all come to an end." 

Star had always grown up with the belief that all monsters were vile creatures with sharp teeth that were used for devouring babies. Eventhough some monsters could follow those guidelines like... _Toffee_... Her eyes had been opened after a disastrous adventure with the former Royal Monster specialist, Dr. Goodwell. Though, her realizations to the true demeanor of monsters initialized all the way back to Mewnipendence Day. 

"I know you're going to do great Starship," Tom assured. Even though they weren't a couple anymore, he still kept that same nickname. Star honestly found it sweet. 

"Aww Thanks Tom! Again, I can't thank you enough for your help on setting this all up. Especially when you carried in that statue for Rich Pigeon, which I had absolutely no idea that he was going to bring." Star replied, tapping on the ice cube that contained the punch bowl after she had accidentally froze the entire thing with magic. 

"Like I said, It's no problem! I really like what you're doing here, this whole thing with monsters and Mewmans. It's going to bring a lot of benefits!" Tom exclaimed as he faced the punch bowl. 

"Here let me help you with that." He said as bright orange flames enclosed his hands to melt the ice into a chunk for the punch. 

"Dangit! I just got the ice!" A voice complained from behind them. Star turned to find Marco hauling a large bag of ice cubes. She snorted in amusement. 

"Sorry buddy, if you want you can just set the bag down right over there!" She said, pointing to an empty spot on the table. 

Star was overjoyed when Marco agreed to help her throw the party. Eventhough she could have easily ordered him to since he was her new squire. Him and Tom's assistance was what really helped this party come together. 

She knew that when Marco first came to Mewni, he was really hurting on the inside. He loved Jackie, and that's why Star spent weeks tormenting herself over her foolish decision at the party to proclaim her crush over him. Or even Song Day, which was a greater disaster. Star had vaporized any romantic feelings she had for Marco after they had made their deal. 

Though he was now single, Star wasn't ready to pine after him yet. However, she noticed Marco's great improvement with his recovery. He went from being a mopey teen to being lively and happy once more, the Marco she had known on Earth. She secretly felt that if she were to ever regain feelings and make a move once more, their entire friendship, everything they had been through, would be lost. 

Speaking of couples, she had noticed Slime monster and Princess Spiderbite interacting on the sidelines. Which was new, but it brought joy to Star that the two races were finally starting to mingle. 

But she had enjoyed every single moment of his visit on Mewni. For the longest time it had been him teaching and demonstrating the fascinating ways of Earth Culture, and what it was like to live as a somewhat regular teen. Now it was her turn to show him what the Royal life was like in Mewni. 

"B-Fly!!! _Ooooo_ I can't believe how Amazing this party is! Ya really outdid yourself girl!" Ponyhead exclaimed, throwing herself into the conversation. Marco and Tom shared a grimace with eachother before turning to see what the floating Princess had to say. 

"Aww Thanks Girlll! Means a lot that you could come!" Star cheerfully exclaimed, throwing her arms around her best friend. 

" _Not- To- Me-_ " Marco fake coughed into his hand, causing Tom to shake with laughter. 

"Aye, You're just jealous, Earth Turd because I'm a hottie and you... _exist_." 

"Well atleast I don't give people high blood pressure when I talk to them-" Marco spat back, followed by Tom hysterically wheezing behind him. 

" _Guys! Guys!_ Be nice!" Star warned, "This is about coming together! Not insulting our friends party! Though, Marco, If you were a soda flavor you would probably be water-" 

Tom was practically using the table to support himself at this point. Marco began to roll up his sleeves as Ponyhead was loudly cheering at what seemed to be the beginning of a wild roast battle. 

"Oh I see how it is, Well I think that-" Marco was about to begin until a piercing scream echoed throughout the entire party. Proceeded by a desperate cry for help. 

Star went cold as she heard the pleas. Of course she couldnt have pulled off a single night without something to go wrong! She quickly picked up the edges of her round ball gown and hastily treaded to the source of the commotion, only to find Princess Spiderbite cowering against a temple pillar.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?!" Star panickingly asked, rushing over to examine the other princess. She was covered in a green slimy substance and her face was covered in trivial scratches. 

"I- It was a monster!" The girl stuttered, wrapping her arm against Star for support. 

Star's worst fears for the party were beginning to come true. There was no way that a monster attacked the Spiderbite Princess was there? It was a party for peace, not for past grudges. Who in the world would have done this? 

"What is even going on here?" On monster asked, being followed by more Mewmans and monsters to watch the dilemma. 

"Obviously she was attacked by that slimy monster." Prince Kelpbottom explained. That could have been a very easy argument. Star had just seen the monster and the girl together, but they looked happy. Surely it couldn't have been Slime could it? 

"Uh what? Slime wouldn't attack anybody." 

"Is he still down in that chamber?!" Accusedly asked a monster, Star anxiously stared as hostile tension filled the air. 

"I- I- I" Princess Spiderbite began, however she was too weak to finish her sentence before another monster interrupted. 

"We saw you take him down there!"

"Yeah like what did you do to him?" 

Star had to solve this, and she had to solve it fast. 

"Okay has anyone seen Slime Monster?" Star asked, glancing out to the crowd. 

"No, but Eric's missing too!" A smaller monster exclaimed. "He was over there by that door earlier!" 

More and more voices began to mumble suspiciously amongst themselves. 

"So was Tonya!" A Squirrel monster added, quickly whipping around to face Star's cousin Rock Johanson who was also at the party. "Wern't you dancing with Tonya earlier?!" 

Rock stepped back startled, "Uh, There were alot of girls. I don't know all their names!" 

The squirrel monster rounded up on the boy, " _What did you do with Tonya?!_ "

"Nothing! Monsters do whatever they want!"

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?!" 

"It means Mewmans aren't the ones attacking people and dragging people through creepy headed doorways! Monsters... It's like their instinct." 

The two began to bicker, Star watched as beads of sweat dripped down her face. The party was falling apart! Everything she had worked so hard for was crumbling before her eyes. 

"Hey gurl!" Ponyhead said, flying right up to Star. 

"Oh Ponyhead, thank goodness!" Star let out a breath of relief as her friend approached. Atleast she could have some support. 

"I dunno what you did but this party just got way more interesting!"

The party got louder and louder as more hate filled voices filled the room, argument overshadowing argument. More and more pressure just kept building in Star's chest until she finally snapped. 

" _STOP_!" She bellowed as all eyes turned to her. 

"Please, Everybody. Just let me take care of this. Go back and enjoy the party! There's fresh punch, it's very cold and the Goblin Dog food truck is out front! Andddd we even have-" 

Star turned to see Ponyhead looking at her expectantly. Suddenly, a bright lightbulb went off in her head. 

"-Some Jokes!" Star finished announcing as she scooted to her friend. "Pony, keep everybody entertained while I investigate!"

Star began to sprint outside. Frantically searching for her Squire, only to find him negotiating with Roy, the Goblin dog guy. 

"Marco!" She squealed before yanking him away. Despite his protests, she was able to drag him to Tom, where the entire story tumbled out of her mouth. 

"Guys I really need your help, Monster kids have started disappearing and I dont know how!" She crazily rambled, desperately to save her party. 

"Star, _Star_ , It's okay! Just take a deep breath and we'll help you look. Where is the problem at?" Tom asked, placing a hand on the Princess's shoulder in an effort to calm her down. Marco did the same. 

"Uhh Over there by that hole in the wall!" Star pointed to the long staircase that was behind the doorway. 

"Okay okay. How about we split up and look for these kids. I'm fine to go by myself. It's with whatever you guys want to do." 

"How about one of us looks downstairs while the other searches the surface in case if they're up here?" Marco suggested. 

"Good idea, I'll take upstairs and once I search the premises I can join you and Star downstairs to look!" Tom said. Both boys turned to await Star's final answer before heading off. 

"Yes! Good plan guys! Thank you so much! Let's go Marco!" 

The three teens split up, Marco and Star found themselves rushing down the stairs and into the unknown. She felt around in her dress for her wand as her suspicions of danger grew worse. 

She held a candle up for light as they trekked into the dark abyss. Star began to call out for slime until Marco stopped her. They were standing upon a puddle of ominous green slime that seemed to drag further into the void. Despite the dire situation, Star still had a slimmer of optimism left. 

It reminded of her mystery solving adventures with Marco back on Earth. She wanted to say something, but she figured that it would have been the wrong time. 

They continued to walk through the halls, focusing on the murals and ancient paintings that surrounded them. 

"So what do you think this place was anyways?" Marco asked, Finally breaking the silence as they started down another flight of stairs. 

"I dunno, but these stairs are _not_ easy in this dress!" Star replied. She had been a princess her entire life, but ballgowns and stairs were never a good combination when it came to Star Butterfly. 

They strolled into a much wider room, it was almost like the party room upstairs, but smaller. However, what really caught Star's attention was the tent and stack of books set up in the middle of the room. All of her alarm bells were going off now. 

"Woah! It's like a little campsite." Marco said, approaching the peculiar tent. He bent over to study the stacks of books as Star stared at the edge of the room. 

A circular opening decorated the wall which appeared to be two doors. It was odd architecture, but Marco was able to find something even more weirder. 

"These folds are fresh." He said as he flipped through the pages. Suddenly the room was brought to an erie darkness as the blue torch flames were extinguished without warning. 

Both the Princess and the Boy jumped back towards eachother in fear as Star began to sense another presence within the room. She trembled as she watched Marco bring his hands to a fighting position while she debated on grabbing her wand. 

"... _Slime_?" Star asked, praying that it really was the friendly monster behind these shenanigans. "...If that was you, now would be a really good time to tell us!" 

Star didn't know what to expect, however she was not anticipating their main source of light on the candle stick to be extinguished as well. Plunging the two friends into pitch black darkness. 

Star could feel Marco's breath get rapid as she pressed her back to his, and if she was honest, her breath was probably doing the same. 

" _Matches! Matches! Matches! Matches_!" Marco pleaded without pause. 

"Okay! I got the candle!" Star cried back, still feeling the metal handle between her hands. 

" _Here_!" 

" _I can't see where!_ " Star snapped at him. She didn't mean to be so rude, but she could tell that the two were waiting for their impending demise. However, she felt stupid as she remembered her lifeline weapon. 

"Oh wait! I'll just use my wand!" She exclaimed, yanking the violet scepter from her dress. The room became luminous with Pink light as she charged the family heirloom. Though a foot step in front of them sent Star into an even more frantic state. 

Both her and Marco squealed as they saw a boot stand before them, Star lifted her wand to see what new threat she would face. But what she met only threw her back into surprise. 

" _Mina Loveberry?!_ " She exclaimed, gazing upon the purple haired warrior, who in personal opinions was beyond insane. 

" _Mud Sister?!_ " Mina exclaimed back, referencing to the time Star had gotten to spend an entire day with the wacky woman who had almost convinced her to overthrow the United States government. 

"What the heck are you doing here?" Mina asked, pointing at princess. 

Star was quick to respond, "I am trying to throw a very important monster and mewman friendship party!"

Mina was taken aback, " _Wait wait wait_ , Monsters?!" She asked, baffled. 

"I've been throwing monsters into this closet all night!" The Solarian Warrior said as she opened a door upon the wall, suddenly the distraught faces of all the missing monsters was revealed. All of them huddled together in terror, crying for help. 

"What! Oh _no no no no no no no_! What are you doing?! You need to let them go right now!" Star ordered. This was it. Her perfect party was probably over. 

"Pft, I need to keep this place safe from evil. Monster. Treachery!" Mina declared, bringing her hands into a fighting position. 

"They're not evil! They're my friends! Come on this place is abandoned!" Star complained. "Nothing sinister is going on!" 

"Young warrior! Everything about these monsters and whosits is sinister!" 

"You don't understand! I am trying to-" 

" _Interrupting_!!" Mina called. "You don't understand the complexities of this situation! I am duty-bound to protect this temple! _Doctor's orders_!!" She lectured as she held up a pet rock with a stethoscope. 

Star glanced at Marco for some reassurance, but he was absolutely no help. 

"This was all you, Mudsister." He said. 

Star approached Mina, "Maybe it's time to get a second opinion!" She suggested, only to have Mina stick the stethoscope in her face. 

" _You doubt the words of a professional?!_ " 

"No but- _Ow- Ow- Stop it_!" Star yelled as Mina began to monotonously smack the cold doctor tool onto her cheek, leaving a minor sting. 

"Okay, Mina, look. Let's just calm down and not escalate things." Star said, slowly backing away. 

"I'm not the one escalating things, Esculator! I've been waiting for hundreds of years- _AH_!" The warrior screamed as the roof above caved in onto her in a cloud of smoke. 

Star and Marco gasped in total awe as they gazed upon Miss Heinous herself standing upon the rubble. 

" _Princess Marco._ " Heinous addressed, staring straight at the boy with a malicious grin.

A million thoughts were pounding through Star's head. Heinous? Why now? Why here out of all places? And what exactly did she want. 

" _Heinous_!" Marco bellowed, Star could practically feel the anger radiating off of her friend. " _Ohhhhh No no no no no no_! I am _done_ running away from you! This ends _now_!" He declared as he brought his fists up. Star knew that they wouldn't be getting out of this situation without a fight. And she stood corrected as they were tackled by Heinous's henchmen, Gemini and Rasticore, to the cold temple floor. 

Within minutes, they brought in a peculiar machine, to which Marco was being dragged towards. Star's only instinct was to start knowing on Rasticore's arm as the Septarian had her locked in and trapped. The machine had two plugs, which were attached to Marco's cheeks. The boy looked incredibly annoyed. 

"Okay." Heinous began once the process was complete. "Now to set the mood... Play the music." She calmly ordered. 

"Uh but, again M'lady?" The robot henchmen asked. 

" _PLAY IT!"_ The woman aggressively demanded with a devilish glare. 

"Yes Ma'am." Gemini complied when he pushed the button. " _Heard it fifteen times..._ " 

The room erupted into loud, violent guitar rifts and screams when the sounds of heavy metal echoed through the machine. Star paused her chewing to look in total confusion as the older lady began to belligerently bang her head to the beat. She slowly walked towards Marco, grabbing the weird tube at the end of the machine and holding it over her head. 

"Start the machine!"

"Uh, Um M'lady, the lever is stuck." 

" _What?!_ "

"Well when I push it, it doesn't go down!" 

"Oh _you_ Imbecile!" She hollered, throwing the robot to the side, "Utterly incompetent!" 

She gradually moved closer and closer into Marco's face, "But no matter. This is between _me_ and _Princess Marco_ now!" She exclaimed, hands on the lever. 

Star cringed, she couldn't watch Marco die like this! But something.... _off_.... happened. Before the former headmistress could end the boy's life, something mysterious appeared across her face. 

_Two cheekmarks._

_Clover, glowing cheekmarks._

Cheekmarks like the ones Star had, cheekmarks like the ones her mother had, cheekmarks like Grandma Comet, Aunt Eitheria, Eclipsa, and all of the past queens before her. 

Something wasn't right. Something _definitely_ wasn't right, but Princess Star Butterfly was at a loss for words. 

The ground and walls around them began to convulse, bits and pieces of rock debris plunging from the ceiling. And miraculously, the two metal round doors before began to slide open, encrested with two clover markings enclosed by a spade. Even Heinous looked bewildered by the sight, but the entire congregation of the room flinched as the temple exploded into blinding purple light. 

Once the light had cleared, the doors had opened to unconceal a new room, decorated with vintage baby materials. 

It was a nursery. 

Miss Heinous slowly began to inch towards it, the uncertain clicks of her heels on stone echoing throughout the chamber. 

"M'lady?" Gemini asked, watching his leader walk closer and closer to the room. 

Star frowned in puzzlement when the woman stepped inside with a loud gasp. 

" _It can't be..._ " She mumbled as she approached a doll house. 

Star hastily made her way with Marco, who had freed himself, closer to what the scene laid before them. However, he only made things awkward. 

"So.... Are we still fighting or?" 

"Leave the room, Marco." 

Heinous had gotten her hands onto two dusty old dolls, one appeared to be a Princess with dark teal hair and a purple dress, the other was a crimson monster. And the dollhouse was a replica of... Butterfly Castle. The Lady caressed the dolls with a nostalgic smile. 

"What do you got there, M'lady?" Gemini asked, clearly on edge. 

"Dolls."

" _Oh uh uh_ , I can see that!"

"These were my dolls! _I love my dolls._ " She whispered, clenching the toys to her chest. 

"That's... That's very nice!" 

"I can't believe it. It's all coming back to me." Heinous said, getting up to roam the room. "That was my bookshelf. And my toy chest!" 

Star continued to stare, her heart beat beginning to thump loudly in her chest. What in the world was this woman doing? And why did she have those... _cheekmarks?_

"This place! This was my nursery!" Heinous exclaimed. She strode over to the crib, scrubbing off the dirt and dust buildup from years of neglect. The gunk receded to display a name, 

_Meteora_

"And _this_ , This was my baby bed." Heinous explained, staring solemnly into the crib. Gemini joined her at her side. 

"But how is this possible?" 

"Oh _Its possible,_ Alright!" A voice echoed from behind. Star swiftly turned to see Mina loveberry standing upon the door way, scratched and bruised from the roof collapse. 

"I knew you'd be back here one day, _Meteora_!" 

"I _beg_ your pardon!" Gemini furiously demanded. This is Miss Heinous! The honorable headmistress of St. Olga's School for Waywardly Princesses!" 

"No," Heinous corrected him, "Meteora. That _is_ my name. Atleast it _was_ my name a long _long_ time ago." Her cheekmarks had appeared once more, Star was able to catch glimpse that they were light green. A major contrast from her bubblegum pink hearts. 

"Uh, M'lady? Your arm?" Gemini warned. Heinous's or Meteora's arm morphed into crimson red skin, topped by a claw shaped hand. Star wanted to screech, make some sort of noise- but she remained silent. Dead silent. 

"No _no no no no_!" She yelled, beginning to rub the modification to her limb. 

"Shall I fetch your makeup?" Gemini asked, but before Heinous could answer, Mina butted in. 

"Well ain't this a pretty picture? First Eclipsa wakes up, and look who comes a' cryin'! _Ty-pi-cal_!" 

Now Star was really concerned. _Eclipsa_? Her great something Grandma, Eclipsa? Things were getting really _REALLY_ weird. 

" _Wa wa wait-_ _Eclipsa_? What does she have to do with all of this?" Star asked, intrigued. She couldn't tell if she wanted to hear the answer or not. 

"Yeah uh, Can someone fill us in?" Marco chimed. 

"Don't you ding dongs know anything?!" Mina asked, " _She's her Mamma!_ " 

Mina gestured to a specific mural on the wall. Star could feel the breath being sucked from her lungs as there it was, the Queen of Darkness herself, cradling a small infant that had those very same clover cheekmarks. 

Star felt sick. Very sick. She wanted to leave, she wanted to run. She wanted to get out as fast as possible. _There was no way..._

" _Eclipsa_ is _Heinous's Mother_?! But _how_?! Eclipsa is _hundreds_ of years old! Besides that would mean Heinous is a... _A princess_!" Marco remarked, glancing back and forth from the painting to Star. 

That _would_ make her a princess. But worse, 

" _I- It means she's a Butterfly_." Star said, her head was spinning, she couldn't deal with this. She had so many questions. Questions for her Mom, for Eclipsa, for Mina, even for Heinous herself. 

The room had erupted into a massive brawl as Mina had shifted into her Solarian form to take Heinous/Meteora out. 

Star began to rapid fire spells, left and right, as Marco began to free the captive monster teens. The fight became more and more violent as Mina raged on, engulfing the room with an electric blue flame. 

Star struggled through the battle in her infuriating dress, but to her saving grace, she heard Tom's voice echo through the nearby hallway. She was going to call to him, that was until she was smacked all the way across the room, practically being slammed into the wall directly in front of the demon prince. Throbbing pain began to shoot all the way up her back and neck. 

"Star! Oh my gosh are you okay?!" He asked, bending down to tend to his friend. "What's going on?!" 

Star managed to pull herself up into a sitting position. "Yeah yeah, I'm good. Anyways we're fighting the Sailor Moon knock off and the Old lady!" 

"Wait- What's a _Sailor Moon?_ "

"Y'know I really don't know! Just something Marco told me a long time ago!" Star said, climbing to her feet. "Now let's go!" 

The two had raced into battle together, Star instantly began to fire spells. But she began to get cornered when her Spider With a Top Hat was no match for the Ancient Solarian Warrior. Tom was quick to aid after some weird demon cursing, locked Mina into a box. 

Star began to catch her breath as she believed the fight was over, however, Mina erupted from the box, sending a force that barreled both Star and Tom to the floor. 

"Where is she?! Where is Meteora?!" Mina boomed, surveying the ruins of the nursery. 

Star had to admit, Heinous was no where in sight. Which only meant she had escaped mid-battle. 

Once Mina realized she was out of luck, the woman rocketed into the ceiling in a fit of pure rage. 

"Oh no no no no! Tom, we have to get up there!" Star cried, pulling at the Prince's sleeves. 

"You go ahead! I'm right behind ya!" Tom assured, rubbing his scraped cheeks. 

That was enough to send Star flying down the hall and up the stairs, hearing Mina's roaring voice become louder and louder with each step, until she was met with pure horror. 

The guests of the party all cowarded to two seperate sides, trembling before the Royal Warrior as she screamed for the lost Princess. Star instantly knew what she had to do. 

" _Raspberry Ribbon Lasoe!_ " Star called, watching as her wand sent a bright pink string that entangle around Mina's leg, holding her in place. 

"You're ruining everything I've tried to accomplish!" Star pleaded. 

"Well you just helped the most dangerous monster in the history of Mewni escape!" 

Before anymore words could be exchanged, the doors to the temple swung open as bright flashes of Blue light rapid fired into the ball room, encasing everything they touched in teal crystals. Star knew exactly who was at the other end of that door, and she knew exactly how much trouble she was going to be into. 

Fleets of Mewni soldiers flooded the room, followed by The Magical High Comission Member himself, Rhombulus, on their heels. Despite his lack of facial expressions, he did not look happy. Star braced herself, until all eyes turned to observe Mina fling herself out of the window and fly away. 

The rest of the night had become an utter disaster. The party was most definitely over and a hot mess. Star spent the rest of her evening huddled on a tree stump, venting to Tom about what she saw since Marco was helping retrieve the broken decorations. Star also had recieved a very lengthy lecture from Rhombulus for her foolish decisions. The reason why the Temple got stormed in the first place was the extreme surges of magic detected in the chamber. 

But Star couldn't rest that night. She layed in anguish in her bed for hours as Marco continuously came to check on her, like how he did when she was sleep portaling. She was too mentally fried to respond to him when he tried to speak to her, as she was too hung over on her thoughts. 

' _I thought Festivia was my great something Grandma after Eclipsa_ ' she thought, ' _So how is Heinous related to us?_ ' 

There was a million questions Star could have been asking. However one stuck out more than the rest. 

_Was she really a Princess?_

~ 6 months after arrival on Mewni ~ 

" _What did you do with my daughter?_ " Eclipsa's question rang out, causing the members of the high Comission to shrink back in awe.

It had been a... _journey_ to say the least on how Star had got there. The past month had been a ride. From the bombshell at her part, to an even greater bombshell with what Her mom and Eclipsa were able to dig out from the Royal Archive. It was hard for her to keep her optimism, but she somehow managed to keep it together. 

Despite the trials and major setbacks in her turbulent life, atleast Star had one stability.

It had been atleast 7 months since Marco and Jackie had broken things off. And by now he was fully recovered, he was also over the moon about the upcoming arrival of his new brother, Marco Jr. Star honestly found the name to be absolutely adorable. Marco begged to differ. 

However, a change in Marco stuck out to Star recently, quite an odd one in fact. She couldn't tell if she was crazy, or if Marco was being extra nice to her, more than usual. She continued to brush off the idea. It was probably just a huge exaggeration that she made up off the top of her head. 

Watching the trial had Star's adrenaline pumping ever since the moment it began. Eventhough her mother and Eclipsa had gone over and over how the trial would play out in her mother's office countless of times. 

_"Remember Star, you need to act natural. I know I'm going to sound like a hypocrite for this... despite how many times I have lectured you... You need to act silly during this. Do whatever, talk back to me, make weird noises, dance. We just can not let the Magical High Comission know that we set this up." Moon warned. Glancing at her daughter who was grabbing at random trinkets among her office bookshelves._

_"Dont worry, Mom, I gotchu- EEP!" Star squealed as an extremely fragile trinket almost slipped out of the girl's fingers._

_"I would say you should have full confidence in her, Moon. She is quiet something else. Reminds me of me when I was her age." Eclipsa added with a smile, watching Star balancing a priceless piece of china on her nose, to which Moon frantically yanked off of her face._

_"That goes to you too, Eclipsa. You have to play the role too. Which means no weird remarks, no pausing to eat chocolate, we can't have any of that." Moon warned the former queen._

_"You know I can't make any promises, dear."_

_"You're just wanting to be put back in that crystal arent yo- Star touch one more expensive object in this room and I swear you are grounded, Young Lady!" Moon scolded, catching Star coming dangerously close to juggling three more artifacts._

_Star began to place the artifacts to their rightful place, however the girl stopped to think._

_"Hey mom, What if... What if they prove what actually happened to Meteora there and it's-"_

_"It will be what it will be, dear. It will happen and we will just move from that. It's not something you should dwell on." Moon assured, quickly glancing at Eclipsa._

_"I think your mother's right, Star." Eclipsa said, "I mean, I don't think it's exactly my place to decide how this will work out but... If I can just find out what happened to my daughter... To Meteora-"_

_"We will find out, Eclipsa. We're going to find out everything. Now let's go over this again. I trick them into thinking that we have to go over plain and boring documents. That's when Eclipsa will suggest a Trial by Box and I will make that an official order. Each member of the High Comission asks a question. Eclipsa, it is vital that you answer each and every question honestly or this entire plan is ruined. Once I have asked my question, you will suggest your question. Star, you pretend that you have to persuade me to allow it. Once you ask, this trial will either go two ways. The Comission will either tell the truth due to the circumstances, or we will be plunged into a deathly situation-"_

_"When we played this game at my sleepover I told it I liked two different colors and I almost died!" Star cheerfully pitched in, causing Eclipsa to giggle._

_"- Again, another reason why we do NOT play with deadly magic artifacts. Continuing, either way we get the truth and the trial is over. Any questions?"_

_Star raised her hand._

_Moon gave a long, tired sigh, "Yes, Star?"_

_"Why don't snakes have legs?"_

_"Okay, alright, Everyone out! NOW!"_

The Comission members were glancing at eachother in pure shock, baffled by the women's question. 

Even Moon was pretending to be surprised, which Star knew was a big scam. 

"Uhh I have no idea what she's talking about." Hekapoo confessed, turning to face the other members. 

" _We didn't do anything with your daughter!_ " Omnitraxious snapped. 

Rhombulus was the last to comment, "And honestly... I'm kinda offended!" 

Star could feel herself inching closer to Moon as she watched the box glow an menacing red, a reminder to her nightmare of a sleepover. 

"Too bad for you," the box said, propelling upwards, " _EVERYONE LIED!!!_ "

Star squealed in fear as the meeting room was enclosed with a hateful red. She looked at the High Commission who were also overcome with panic, but what unsettled Star the most was Eclipsa's calm demeanor as they became trapped with doom. 

" _Wha- What's happening?!_ We told the truth!" Bellowed Rhombulus, even he was slightly shakey with the surroundings. 

" _Are you sure about that?!_ " The box sneered. As soon as the sentence was over, the walls of the enclosement shifted closer. Once more, the inhabitants of the room gasped in fear. 

Even though Star had once told the box off before, she didn't exactly know how to approach this situation. To her dismay, they only had one way out of this. 

Star forced herself against the wall, using her strength to push it back, but her attempts remained fruitless. 

"Come on guys, _Spit it out!_ " Star begged, looking at the uneasy faces of the High Commission. 

"We didn't do anything _wrong_!" Hekapoo protested. 

The walls only closed in more. 

"The box seems to differ!" Moon called, now pushing on the sides of the walls aswell. 

"We're not the ones on trial!" Omni rebutted, which only angered the box more. 

"If you'd rather get to the truth more quickly, I can work with that." 

The walls abruptly began to close in continuously, gradually moving closer and closer to it's new victims. 

"Oh that's not good." Rhombulus claimed. 

Star's heart began to pound once more, "Guys!" She yelled, using every ounce of her strength to continue pushing the walls. If the MHC didn't confess soon, they would all be compacted into a dead pancake. 

Eclipsa was the only one who remained in the same position from when the crushing had started, her face dark with a furious glare. Star understood why Eclipsa would be angry, in fact, if Star was in her position she would be angry too. 

The High Commission aggressively began to use their powers, Rhombulus spitting out crystal pillars that crumbled within seconds, Hekapoo's clones failing to push the walls, and Omnitraxious's magic dissipating with each growing second. But the walls only came closer. 

"Moon! Please shut it off!" Omni demanded, turning towards the frightened Queen. 

"I can't do that! We all took the oath!" 

That was true, just like the game of Truth and Punishment, all players each had to dip their pinky finger into the box, sealing their oath to finish the game. 

Rhombulus violently threw his hands to the air, exemplifying his decision to give up. 

" _Oh no_! Okay! I'm done! _I want out!_ "

Hekapoo's clones began to disappear into clouds of smoke, also showing her efforts were futile, the woman quickly dived to the floor. 

" _We're going to be crushed!_ " She screamed, glancing at the approaching ceiling. 

Star was fed up with everything at this point, if she was going to die here in a room full of liars, she was going to give them a piece of her mind. 

"You know, this is so unfair," she said, finding her words as the room became silent, "You enforce the laws of magic on everyone around you, yet for some reason you can lie to us?! How does that make you any different from the villain you say Eclipsa is?!" 

Everyone paused for a moment, except for Rhombulus who looked like the crystal on his head would shatter at any second. 

" _We got rid of your daughter, sorry!_ " 

" _Truth_!" 

The walls came to a halt before completely vanishing in thin air. Everyone was returned to their original places in the trial. 

" _What the heck, Rhombulus?!_ " Hekapoo furiously chastised. 

"I'm sorry. I'm tired of keeping it a secret! Tell em' Omni!" 

The Space Time Gaurdian signed, knowing that this would be a wonderful time. "Fine. Eclipsa, Your ex Husband, King Shastacan,"

The trial ejected a hologram of the former King in front of Eclipsa. The man was holding a scepter, and on the other end dangled a hybrid baby with a tail and clover cheekmarks. 

"He wanted nothing to do with your half monster daughter," Omni continued as the King flung the baby out of picture. Star watched eagerly, but was slightly hurt by the shocked look on Eclipsa's face. 

"So, he swapped her out with a peasant girl," Now there were two babies in the hologram, one being Meteora, and the other....Star's great grandmother, 

_Festivia_. 

"We gave her the royal magic wand, and she became the next Queen of Mewni." 

That same sickly feeling Star had felt back at the party had once again returned. She also felt slightly dizzy, not from almost being crushed alive, which would have been reasonable. But from what she just witnessed. 

"Eclipsa has been found guilty of crimes against Mewmanity. However, the Magical High Comission has also been found guilty of tampering with Mewni's history and omitting the truth from the Butterfly family for generations. This concludes the Trial, although, if we're all being honest here, it seems like y'all still have some issues to deal with." The box concluded, falling right into Queen Moon's hands. 

"So it was just as we suspected." The Monarch finally spoke, causing the Comission to uproar in shock. She began to stride to Eclipsa's post, Queen glancing at Queen. 

"We knew there was something missing from our Family's history. Eclipsa's daughter should have been recorded here in the Royal Archives," Moon said, showing the Comission the stolen scroll. "But she's _gone_." 

" _Wait a minute, this whole trial was a set up?!_ " Rhombulus exclaimed, backuped by Sean's confused screams. 

" _You were planning this all along!_ " Hekapoo accused, she was not taking this new revaluation lightly. 

Star ran to the center, rejoining with her mother and Eclipsa. " _Actually, We all planned this!_ " 

"We thought you might be hiding something. And it turns out _we were right!_ " Moon snapped, tightly clenching the tempered scroll. 

Star was furious, livid in fact. How could the Magical High Comission keep something so serious from them?! How could they have done this to a child?! And at this point, Star wasn't even convinced Eclipsa was evil anymore. In fact, she was standing before the real villains at that very moment. 

"You lied to our family for _Generations_!" Star declared, almost being overshadowed by Sean slamming his fists on the typewriter. 

" _We had to_!"

" _Can you imagine_ if the power of magic fell into the hands of a _monster_?!" 

"You let us live a lie!" Star explained. Suddenly the realization hit her, a realization she never thought she would ever make in her lifetime. 

"We shouldn't even _have_ the throne! Eclipsa isn't even... _wait_..." She turned to face the woman, the real Butterfly, who was still shackled in handcuffs. "You aren't actually my great great great great something grandma.."

"No sweetie, I'm not." 

"Then... _That means_..." Star felt a massive lump in her throat, It stung the more and more she talked. 

" _We're no more royal than anybody else_!" She exclaimed, whipping her wand from her dress, Staring at the one object that had built her entire life for the past year. Everything she went though, with Marco, beating up Ludo, and Toffee, and...

_It wasn't even her's to begin with._

"You're still a Princess, Star." Moon said, trying to comfort her daughter. However, it had no effect. 

"No, Mom. We're _nobody_!" 

Star locked eyes with Eclipsa, the two remained silent for a moment until Star brought up her wand, zapping the cuffs off of her arms. 

As she watched the shackles plunge to the floor, Star could feel her legs starting to move. At first she was walking, but soon enough she broke into a sprint, running straight towards the door. 

"Star! Star, _Wait_!" She could hear her Mother call from behind her, but it was too late. She had already slammed the door behind her. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes as she sped through the halls. She had to get out, she had to leave as soon as possible. 

She had opened a portal to her room, she could feel Eclipsa and Moon's presence trying to look for her in the halls behind, but she had lept through anyways. 

Star anticipated getting through as fast as possible, she felt like she was going to break apart at any moment. She just wanted to be alone. 

When she had walked to the other side, she finally felt like she was in her safe haven once more, but that feeling was quickly demolished as she found Marco sitting on her bed, waiting for her return. 

"Hey. How did everything at the Trial go? Did ya find out anything?" Marco asked as the portal closed behind her. Completely clueless as to what just went down and reading a newspaper. 

" _Y-Yeah_. I'm good. It's fine." Star stressed her words, her voice quivering and high pitched with effort. 

Marco gently dropped the paper, watching his friend in deep concern as she tried to avoid eye contact. She didn't want to look at him. Her only instinct was to push him out as fast as possible. But he was catching on. 

"Star? Is everything... _Okay_?" He asked, getting up to approach her. 

' _No, It's not_!' She thought. Nothing was okay. She wanted to scream, kick, cry, do anything she could think of. She had spent her entire life having gaurds bow to her as she walked the halls. Spent her entire life living in a castle, being referred to as " _Your Highness_ " and " _Princess_ ". Spent her entire life being told that one day, she would be the ruler of Mewni, and the power of magic and her Kingdom would all belong to her. But now, she was nothing but a fraud. 

_A peasant fraud._

"Yeah. Yeah it's all ...Good! _H-Hey_ do you think you could maybe.. Leave my room so that I could.. _take a nap_?" She stuttered. She was attempting her best to hide how much pain she felt. She was trembling, her nose was running, and her entire body felt numb. She didn't want to sweep Marco into it too. 

"Star. Come on, I know you better than that. What's wrong?" He asked, gingerly placing his hand upon her shoulder as she was fighting her incoming tears. 

"No- No. It's fine. _It's really nothing-_ " 

"No it _isn't_ nothing. Something clearly happened.... Star, you know you can always talk to me." 

Star froze as those words hit her ears. It reminded her of _somewhere_...

...It reminded her of when Marco tried to hide how he felt with.. The breakup all those months ago. 

She felt something snap inside of her, like a string that was keeping every last bit of composure she had left together. Suddenly, she flung herself into Marco's arms, letting out every single thing that had piled up on her in one moment. 

" _It's all messed up. It's so messed up_!" She sobbed, gripping onto his hoodie with all the strength she had. 

Thankfully, Marco didn't push her back, he kept her into the hug as the girl cried into his shoulder. 

"What's messed up?" He softly asked. 

" _I'm not a Princess! They lied to us_!" 

"You're not a _what_?" He accidentally said outloud. Star didn't blame him though. "What did they lie to you about?" 

" _Eclipsa isn't my Grandma, they- they swapped Meteora out with a peasant girl and she's my grandma. I'm just a fraud_!" Star bawled, pausing a couple of times to catch her breath. 

"Listen, listen." Marco said, lightly stroking her hair, "It's going to be okay. They're not going to take you off the throne, are they?" 

" _No no, but still it's all just- wrong_!" 

Star gradually began to feel more and more calm as she vented to Marco. The more and more she talked to him, a familiar feeling began rejuvenating within her. 

"That's okay. I would say it's completely normal to feel like that." 

" _You think so_?" Star asked, wiping away her tears with her forearm, eyes darting around the room as Marco spoke to her. 

"Yes it is. But listen Star, If I've learned anything about you for the past two years, wherever it was on Earth _OR_ Mewni, It's that you'll always find a way to snap back. You're extremely brave. I know that you're going to tackle this in your own way and recover as if it were nothing." 

Star wanted to cry more, but this time from happy tears at Marco's words. However, she began to feel foolish. _Who even was she??_

Well she wasn't a real Butterfly to say the least, but she was still _Star Butterfly._ She would overcome this. She just had to have the right faith in herself. And clearly, Marco shared that faith too. 

However, something else ignited within Star after she had rambled all of her family drama to Marco. Something she hadn't felt like in months. But it couldn't possibly be... 

Their deal still echoed in her mind within the few weeks. _How could she be feeling this way again? Should she even be feeling this way again?_

But Marco was with Jackie-

_Not anymore._

But Marco needs to recover from Jackie- 

_He already did._

The blow from Star's identity crisis had dulled as the days passed, and the more time she spent with Marco she... 

His support was so helpful, she had to admit. But she didn't know she would feel this way about him once more. She had destroyed all romantic feelings for him ever since they made that deal... or so she thought. She felt guilty enough that she got in between him and Jackie at that party.

It left Star thinking...

_Maybe Star Butterfly never fell out of love with her bestfriend._

~ 7 months after arrival on Mewni ~ 

Marco felt empathy for Star when she had cried into his arms for that night. He honestly believed that the girl was shattered to pieces over it. But he was fully confident that she would overcome it soon. 

He was still bewildered by the new situation, Star not being a princess, the baby swap. Eventhough he wasn't apart of the Royal Family, he had to admit the environment felt a little awkward after the new revaluation. 

He had always been used to thinking Star was a Princess. Which she still technically was, and of course the girl never acted like a real princess, but ever since he moved to Mewni, it was a major contrast to how she was treated on Earth. 

On Earth everyone just thought of her as the local, wacky, magical girl. She wasn't given special treatment, though she definitely stood out from the crowd. But on Mewni, she could get whatever she wanted with a snap of her fingers. She had people bowing to her and addressing her as " _Your Highness_ ". 

Marco couldn't believe how the girl never inherited the snobby royal personality. But then again, her father was a prime example of disobeying social standards. 

Recently for some reason, Marco had felt an odd pull to Star. Despite her being his best friend, he felt... Bashful around her. When he was around her he felt like he had to prove himself. Which was, different, to put it simply. 

Eclipsa was no longer considered a high class prisoner, which meant no more threatening glares from gaurds as he innocently walked through the halls. In fact, the once suspected evil queen had free roam of the castle. He had passed her a couple of times, to which she had thrown up her hands to mock him with the " _sword hand dance_ " that Marco found plainly annoying. 

Heinous or Meteora however, was nowhere to be found. Star had revealed to him that Queen Moon and Eclipsa were working diligently to track down her whereabouts. Which made Marco suspect that this was the calm before the storm. The former headmistress, and well, former Princess despised him with every bit of her being. He knew that she would be right back on his tracks, in fact, she already knew where Marco's parents lived. 

Speaking of Marco's parents, Angie was expected to deliver Marco's brother in just a few months. He was overwhelmed with joy, but the name still left a bad taste in his mouth. 

_Marco Jr. Out of all names._

That's why Marco had wished on every star that the baby would be a girl. Mariposa would have been a much better fit to name a sibling. Even Kyle would have been fine if it wern't for the Monster Energy Drink addicts. 

Marco and Star had gone to his parent's baby shower later. Despite her recent dilemma, Star was in good spirits to be back on Earth. Smiling and eagerly socializing with everything that her eyes laid on. 

Marco had an awesome time as well back at home, even Alfonso and Ferguson had arrived. Both going on and on about recent events. 

He had also spent hours looking for a shower gift for his parents. Clueless as to what to bring, he had stopped to grab some flowers from the royal garden as a Mewni souvenir. Of course Star had something bright and extravagant planned, with a little touch of magic as well. 

Though, one thing that caused Marco's focus to falter was Star herself. Eventhough he was paying definite attention to the party, throughout the event he couldn't stop glancing at her. Something he had noticed for the past couple of weeks as well. 

He was in no way trying to be creepy what so ever, but he just... liked to look at her? Which sounded even more creepy in his head. He was just taking time to admire certain things about the girl that he didn't really notice from before, like her smile, the way her blue eyes lit up when she was excited, the way she could make everyone in a room laugh. 

When it was time to go, he was knocked out of his thoughts by Star tapping on his nose from behind. 

"Ya ready to hit da road, Diaz?" She asked, cramming a few potato chips into her mouth. 

Marco had instantly shot up, startled by her sudden approach. " _Uh huh huh_... _Yeah_! Just be careful not to _crash um_... because you know.. cars hitting the road... _they can um_... crash?" 

Marco honestly wanted to strut right into the kitchen and stick his hand straight into the blender. But, he stayed where he was. 

" _Hehe_... I don't know what that was but it's a good thing I didn't get it!" She said unphasedly, "Come on Slacker! Say your goodbyes because I ain't gonna watch that Love Sentence concert stream myself! First I gotta go tell your parents how fun the party was though!" The princess exclaimed before zooming off through the house. 

It wasn't until later that night that Marco had come to his senses. Why on earth would he ever look at her that way?! Or why was he acting like such a massive dimwit around her now?! 

It reminded him _EXACTLY_ of how he acted around,

_Jackie Lynn Thomas._

His ex girlfriend, who was living all the way around the world in another dimension. The one who he had crushed over for years. The one who he had confessed too even with the Naysaya curse attached to his neck. The one who he was completely broken over once they split apart. 

All the similarities were so obvious!

But he was insane to think that he liked Star! Of course there was her personal crush on him that she had those months ago. But that didn't mean anything. But for the past couple of weeks, She was all Marco could think about. 

She wasn't thinking about him though. With the family crisis, and their deal so long ago. Marco would be a fool to even try making a move. Especially after the events during Song Day. 

But Star was his best friend. They had been through everything together. He had even technically watched her die when Toffee crushed her wand's crystal in his fist. He could confess anything to her. But not this. Definitely not this. 

He wanted to deny everything, refuse every single idea of him liking Star that way. But he couldn't. Even part of him was terrified that Tom would come and murder him in his sleep for it, after spending months doing everything in his power to prevent Marco and Star being together. But Tom was a great guy now, and him and Marco were actually starting to become buds. He had nothing to worry about. 

And then there was the chance that Star would Narwhal Blast him into a wall. Marco had noticed a certain knight that kept making flirtatious remarks towards the Princess, which every single time resulted in the gaurd being beaten down by the horned fish. 

Marco and Star had arrived at Ruberiot and Foolduke's wedding in company with Tom and Kelly. Marco, being one of the members of the Grand Resistance during Ludo's reign made him an honorary guest. 

Marco also found it to be a fun idea to ride in on Nachos, his trusty dragoncycle from his adventures in the Neverzone. After lecturing Kelly numerous times to not touch the living creature, at some point in the night when Kelly disappeared, the sound of a motor roaring could be heard in the distance. Marco only accepted his defeat. 

One thing that caught Marco's attention, other than the amazingly put together wedding reception, but the same Photo booth from the Bounce Lounge sitting near by. 

"Hey Star," Marco said, nudging the girl. "How about we go take some pictures? It is the Booth from the Bounce Lounge! Couldn't hurt much!" 

"Awww gee Marco! I would love to but, it wouldn't be right without Ponyhead!" Star answered, minorly disappointing the boy. "I just don't understand. She was supposed to be here hours ago! I've been calling and calling and she just won't pick up! I just wonder what's happening at St. O's that's keeping her away..." 

Marco had noticed Star seemed a bit anxious, but less of Ponyhead's presence made for a better night in Marco's opinion. 

"Y'know I think I'm enjoying not having someone screaming in my ear for hours with no end." Tom piped in after devotedly staring at a piece of pie the entire time. Marco snorted in amusement. 

" _Aw Tom_ don't be a meanie!" Star whined, scrolling up and down through her texts. "I'm seriously worried about her. She even left this voicemail complaining about... _Brunch_?? Until it just ended with her screaming." 

"Again, _The screaming_. I hear more from her than I do from the souls in the Underworld." 

"Ah, Star I wouldn't worry about it! You know how she is. And you know exactly how St. Olga's is. I'm sure everything is okay." Marco assured, Star hastily looked up. 

"You really think so?" She asked, locking eye contact with him on the spot. In honesty, it made him blush. 

"Of course I do! Now come on, you had a failed party 2 months ago, let's make this one a success!" 

Marco later realized that everything he had told Star was a huge lie as the Princess was frantically chattering back and forth with Ponyhead herself the day after. Star's facial expressions becoming more and more frightful as the conversation continued. 

Once she had closed her phone, she turned to glance at Marco, everything about her demeanor read 'bad news'. 

" _So_....... Meteora is back."

" _WHAT_ -" 

"And she is not _too_ happy." 

Marco felt himself choke. He knew this had to be a personal attack on him. He knew that Meteora was going to be seconds away from kicking down his door and ripping him to shreds. Star's words only made matters worse. 

"Well, she broke into the school. Oh and she has a tail now. And ripped Ponyhead's horn off, broke into some secret chamber, punched a robot, and let's just say that she's going full monster mode." 

"Does your Mom know about this?! Does Eclipsa know about this?!" 

"Oh oh... They probably know by now... It's um, the news is starting to spread through out Mewni." 

"Well... Maybe they can finally stop her and hopefully bring her back- _definently_ _not_ _near me_." 

"I dont know, Marco, based on what Ponyhead's been telling me... She might be far out of control."

"About Ponyhead, how is she? With the horn and all?" Marco asked. He secretly found it hysterical about the Floating unicorn- well now horse- head taking one for the team. 

"Well... She's stuck in bed, bingewatching all of her Korean shows. To sum it up, not good. But Hey Marco, I'm going to head out to the Cloud Kingdom to visit her. Can you keep an eye on the news while I'm gone?" Star asked as she yanked her boots from her closet. 

" _Uh yeah!_ Of course I can!" 

"Okay thanks alot! _Seeya later alligator_!" The girl called before zapping cloudy into existence and flying off into the sky. 

Meanwhile, word had gotten out to Moon and Eclipsa about the run away hybrid. In fact, she had just gotten through terrorizing the Pigeon Castle to which the Kingdom of birds angrily responded to. 

Star's mother and Eclipsa had also set off on a journey, leaving Marco alone to his thoughts. 

Every single minute that passed, only Star would come to mind. It had been a month since he had started having feelings for her. And by now, they were at their breaking point. 

He would give anything to be a couple, but did _she really want that?_

He had noticed recently that she too was acting odd around him. But was she just catching on? And how was she responding to it all? Of course, he had never forgotten about Jackie. He could never forget about Jackie. 

_But was he ready to take on a new relationship?_

Star had later returned, rambling about 3D printers and Unicorn horns. Marco would have been actively listening to every word. However the thumping in his chest drowned out every sentence that came out of the Girl's mouth. 

He felt light headed and dizzy just thinking about it, and his face was obviously hot and a flustered red. 

He was just an idiot, he was probably about to destroy his entire friendship with just a couple of sentences. 

Or could he possibly make his friendship a relationship? 

He kept battling with himself, on what he should say, how he should prevent himself from screwing up one of the brightest lights in his life. 

If he messed up, it was over. It would all be over. Things would be a replica of how they were on Song Day. The awkward small talk, quick glances. But he couldn't hide it anymore. 

He couldn't do this. He really shouldn't do this... 

"Hey, _Star_??" Marco asked with a loud voice crack, watching as the Princess whipped around to face him. A curious smile on her face. 

"Yes sir!" She responded with a giggle, sliding off her shoes. Was she blushing? 

_Here goes nothing._

"Okay so..... _Oh gosh I...... Well......Ya see_ ," Well, only 20 seconds in and Marco Diaz was already bombing the entire thing. Star only grew more impatient. 

"I'm _waaaaaaaiting_!" She called in a sing song voice. She walked closer to the trembling boy, unsuspecting of what was about to happen next. 

" _Well_... I want to tell You- You something... _big_.... _really big_." He gulped. 

" _Uh huhhhhhhh_ " 

"But.... _It's absolutely crazy_.... I'm sure I'm crazy for even getting the courage to well..... _say this_ -" 

" _Ooooo_ , I like crazy!" 

"Yeah yeah... I know but...... if I say it....... I could _completely_ ruin our friendship.... and I don't want that." He confessed, shrinking in fear as Star lifted an eyebrow. 

" _Ruin our friendship_? Psh, Marco we've been through Monsters and everything together!" Star exclaimed, making fake punches towards the air. "You know if you ever need to tell me something, I will always listen!" 

Those short sentences were all Marco needed to give him that small boost of confidence to achieve what he had in mind. After what he was about to ask, his life would be changed forever. But he didn't know if it would be for the good or bad. 

"Well.... you see Star..... _I_...... _Im_....... I _think I li_ -" 

Marco could have almost screamed once the hinges to Star's door swung open to reveal a very panicked King River who had beads of sweat dripping aggressively from his face. 

_Something had to be horribly wrong_. 

" _Dad_!" Star exclaimed as the short man ran to his daughter. "What are you doing here? What's wrong?!" 

For the first time in his life, Marco heard River give his most serious speech ever, one that would leave a lasting impact on Star for months to come. 

"Listen to me, Pumpkin. I don't want you to panic," The King said, gently reaching for his daughter's hands. 

" _But your Mother, The Queen, has gone missing_."


End file.
